 "Standing Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi (3rd, R) and delegates take a photo with the family of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet at his memorial house where he lived and worked during the years 1977–1982. (Photo: SGGP)")
The delegation of leaders and officials from the Party Committee, the People’s Council, the People’s Committee, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City paid a visit to the family of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, who was also former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. The delegation offered incense in tribute to the late Prime Minister at a memorial site dedicated to the leader in Thu Duc City’s Thao Dien Ward where he lived and worked during the years 1977–1982.
Speaking at the visit, Standing Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi said that the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet was an innovative, talented, and courageous leader who applied new models and solutions to the development of the country and the city. He devoted his entire life to the people and the nation.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi added that the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet set a bright example and left valuable lessons for the generations of city leaders, bringing the country and Ho Chi Minh City into a new era.
On behalf of the leadership of Ho Chi Minh City, the Standing Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee affirmed that the Party, government, and people of the city always deeply respect and are grateful to the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, who contributed to the development of the city.
The late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, also known as Sau Dan, whose real name is Phan Van Hoa, was born on November 23, 1922, in Vung Liem District’s Trung Hiep Commune in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long. He was an excellent student of the late President Ho Chi Minh.
He was a member of the Party Central Committee and the Politburo and took important positions, including Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, Prime Minister of Vietnam from 1991 to 1997, advisor to the Party Central Committee, and NA deputy in the 6th, 8th, and 9th tenures.
He had received the Sao Vang (Golden Star) Order, the State’s highest distinction, for his immense contributions to the Vietnamese revolution over the past 70 years. The late PM was loved by many Vietnamese people for his services to the country. He passed away on June 11, 2008.
The delegation also paid a visit to the family of the late Deputy Director of Binh Dan Hospital, Labor Hero, Prof. Dr. Van Tan, at his house in Thu Duc City’s Hiep Binh Chanh Ward.
Standing Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi expressed his deep gratitude to the late professor for his great contributions to the health sector of the country and the city.
On the same day, the delegation of leaders and officials from the Party Committee, the People’s Council, the People’s Committee, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, led by Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Duong Ngoc Hai, visited the family of the late Chairman of the People’s Committee of the city, Labor Hero Nguyen Vinh Nghiep, in District 7.
The late Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Vinh Nghiep (1930-2007) left a profound mark on projects such as the inter-district road connecting Nha Be and Duyen Hai islet (now Can Gio), the Dong Cu Chi Canal route, and Phu My Hung urban area. He played a key role in establishing the Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in Ho Chi Minh City.
He was honored with many prestigious titles, including the Labor Hero, the 60-Year Party Membership Badge, the First-Class Independence Order, the First-Class Victory Order, the First-Class Medal of Resistance against the Americans, the Medal for “National Security Protection,” and the "For the Young Generation" Medal.
At the visit to the family of the late Ambassador Vu Hac Bong, former Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Duong Ngoc Hai offered incense in memory of the late Ambassador and sent the best wishes to his relatives.
The late Ambassador Vu Hac Bong (1927–2022) was one of the first ten diplomats granted the title of Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by the President. He received many prestigious medals and orders, including the First-Class Resistance Order, the First-Class Feat of Arms Order, the First-Class Labor Order, the 'For the Cause of Vietnam’s Diplomacy' commemorative medal, and the 75-year Party Membership Badge.
Also on the day, Head of the Organization Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Van Thi Bach Tuyet paid a visit to the family of the late painter and sculptor Diep Minh Chau, who is the former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, in Phu Nhuan District.
The head of the Organization Committee of the municipal Party Committee highly appreciated the significant contributions of painter and sculptor Diep Minh Chau to Vietnamese fine arts in general and to the city’s art in particular.
The late artist Diep Minh Chau (1919–2002) made many notable contributions to Vietnamese fine arts. During his lifetime, he had profound memories with President Ho Chi Minh and created hundreds of paintings and sculptures of Uncle Ho.
Born in Ben Tre Province in 1919, Diep Minh Chau studied at the Indochina School of Fine Arts in Hanoi (now Hanoi University of Fine Arts) and graduated in 1945. In 1950, he joined the resistance movement and moved to the Viet Bac revolutionary base in the northern region. He had the opportunity to live with President Ho Chi Minh and created many portraits of him.
Many of his works are preserved and displayed in museums in Vietnam and abroad. Among them is the bronze statue titled “Uncle Ho with Kids,” which was placed in front of the city People’s Committee headquarters in District 1. The statue, one of Ho Chi Minh City’s icons, currently stands in the City Children’s House. He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts by the State in 1996.
