Opening of Book Week and activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army

On the morning of December 15, at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City organized the opening ceremony of Book Week and activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024) and the 35th anniversary of National Defense Day (December 22, 1989 - December 22, 2024).

Delegates performed the opening ceremony of the Book Week commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024).

The event aims to widely propagate to cadres, party members, armed forces and all classes of people about the glorious history and heroic tradition of the Vietnam People's Army in 80 years of construction and growth and 35 years of building the all-people national defense; affirming the position, role, importance and great contributions of the Vietnam People's Army in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoi, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Book Week and celebration activities took place from December 15 to 22 with 24 participating units, nearly 20 book introduction programs, experiential activities, performances and exchanges on folk music on the theme of the Vietnam People's Army.

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications Nguyen Ngoc Hoi delivered the opening speech.

Particularly on this occasion, the Department of Information and Communications organized an exhibition, introducing 343 documents, images, and publications with the themes "Heroic Army - Strong National Defense" and "Ho Chi Minh City Armed Forces continue the heroic tradition"; a discussion program, introducing the book "Typical battles of Ho Chi Minh City Armed Forces (1945-1989)" and exchanging with historical witnesses. “Through the Book Week, the Organizing Committee hopes to arouse national pride and self-respect, educate officers and soldiers of the armed forces, especially the young generation, to be more deeply aware of their glorious responsibility on the journey with the entire Party and people to bring our country into a new era - the era of national growth, determined to build a prosperous, civilized, happy country, build a national defense and firmly protect the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam in the new situation”, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications Nguyen Ngoc Hoi said.

Delegates visited the exhibition of works about the Vietnam People's Army.

After the opening ceremony, the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City Command, the National Political Publishing House, the Military Zone 7 Museum and the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company to organize a book introduction program "Typical battles of the Ho Chi Minh City Armed Forces in the period 1945-1989" and exchange with historical witnesses. The book "Typical battles of the Ho Chi Minh City Armed Forces in the period 1945-1989" is introduced to readers by the Party Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City Command and the National Political Publishing House Truth, to summarize typical battles, including two decisive and symbolic battles in the 1968 Tet Offensive and Uprising. Those are the battle on the Independence Palace (January 31 - February 1, 1968) and the battle on the puppet General Staff (January 31, 1968), from which lessons are drawn to serve training work, making a practical contribution to the task of being ready to fight to protect the Fatherland in the new situation.

Interact with historical witnesses at the book launch "Typical battles of the Ho Chi Minh City Armed Forces in the period 1945-1989".

The book is not only a valuable historical document, but also a symbol of the courage and indomitable spirit of the city's army and people during the arduous years of resistance, helping today's and future generations continue to promote the tradition of the heroic Vietnam People's Army in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. At the exchange and book launch, the audience had the opportunity to return to the past, meet and listen to touching, authentic stories from witnesses who participated in the historic battle of Tet Mau Than in 1968. They were the ones who directly fought under the rain of bullets and bombs, faced many challenges and sacrifices, but still maintained their faith in victory and in the independence and freedom of the nation. Source: https://nhandan.vn/khai-mac-tuan-le-sach-va-cac-hoat-dong-ky-niem-80-nam-ngay-thanh-lap-quan-doi-nhan-dan-viet-nam-post850608.html