Party chief Nong Duc Manh called on the entire Party and the people to unite in a single bloc and embark on a path of national independence closely linked to socialism.

Mr Manh made the call at a meeting in Hanoi on September 1 to mark the 64th anniversary of the August 1945 Revolution and National Day (September 2).

He highlighted the historic significance of the victory of the August 1945 Revolution and the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam 64 years ago, linking national independence with socialism.

He affirmed that national independence lays a firm foundation for socialism, and that only socialism can help consolidate and bring into full play the fruits of national independence, driving the nation forward.

He said over the past decades, the Party has drawn this lesson: the revolutionary cause is of the people, by the people and for the people. It is the people who clinched Vietnam’s historic victory.

He said another lesson is to constantly consolidate and promote unity within the Party, among different ethnic groups, and internationally. The victory of the recent revolution resulted from the strength of a nation that has experienced thousands of years of struggle against foreign enemies.

The Party leader also credited the correct leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam as a key factor behind the victory of the Vietnamese revolution.

Mr Manh described Ho Chi Minh as a man whose historic decisions were turning points in the Vietnamese revolution. President Ho passed away 24 years after he read the Declaration of Independence in Hanoi proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He left behind a sacred testament, summing up the Party’s practical experience in leading the nation and revealing qualities of the late President himself – a great leader, a national hero and a cultural activist of the Vietnamese nation.

Mr Manh said the testament crystallizes President Ho’s historical, cultural and ideological values, serving as a programme of action for the country during the national liberation movement and national reconstruction of the post-war period. It also demonstrates the late president’s boundless love for all, Vietnamese and foreigners alike.

The Party leader said that in implementing this testament over the past 40 years, Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam have overcome countless difficulties and challenges and made tremendous achievements in various areas.

Mr Manh called on every Vietnamese citizen to take an active part in the Party-launched campaign of “Studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples” so as to successfully implement the resolutions adopted at the 10th National Party Congress.

VietNamNet/VOV