Attending the ceremony were leaders of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, as well as leaders of central Party commissions, ministries, and agencies.
Representing Ho Chi Minh City at the ceremony were Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang; Standing Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Quoc Phong; Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council Vo Van Minh; Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Phuoc Loc; and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee cum Head of the Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains of the city, Nguyen Manh Cuong.
Representing Military Region 7 were Commander of Military Region 7, Le Xuan The; and Political Commissar of Military Region 7, Tran Vinh Ngoc.
The flower- and incense-offering ceremony reflected the profound gratitude of the Party and the State to the heroic martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. It also reaffirmed the Party's and State's special attention to the search for, recovery and identification of martyrs' remains, contributing to the effective implementation of the policy of gratitude to those who rendered service to the nation, the care of people with meritorious services to the revolution, and the promotion of patriotism and the Vietnamese people's tradition of "When drinking water, remember its source."
In the solemn atmosphere, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, together with Party and State leaders, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, senior officials of the Ministry of National Defence, and Military Region 7, respectfully offered flowers and incense in memory of Party General Secretary Tran Phu and the nation's fallen heroes.
Throughout the nation's long history of nation-building and national defence, generations of Vietnamese people, inspired by deep patriotism, unwavering solidarity, and a readiness to endure hardship and sacrifice, fought resolutely against foreign invaders to safeguard the independence, freedom, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the Fatherland, as well as the well-being of the people.
During these struggles, millions of the nation's finest sons and daughters dedicated their youth to the cause of national liberation, willingly laid down their lives for the Fatherland, fought with courage, and made the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields across the country.
At the flower- and incense-offering ceremony, the delegates pledged to continue studying, working and serving the nation in a manner worthy of the immense sacrifices made by previous generations. They also vowed to uphold the spirit of revolutionary heroism and strive to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, contributing to the building and steadfast defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the new era.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, together with the delegation, offered flowers and incense at the monument to Party General Secretary Tran Phu. The delegation also paid tribute at the Martyrs' Memorial Stele House, the Memorial Stele dedicated to the heroes and martyrs who fell during the 1968 Tet Offensive and General Uprising, the Martyrs' Remains Hall, and the shrines dedicated to heroic martyrs Le Thi Rieng and Tran Van Kieu.
Following the ceremony, the Party General Secretary and State President, accompanied by the delegation, visited and inspected the search site, received a progress report on the search for and recovery of martyrs' remains, and encouraged and presented gifts to officers, soldiers, and personnel directly engaged in the mission at Le Thi Rieng Park.
