HCM City gathering marks 44th anniversary of January 7 victory

HCM City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a gathering on January 9 in celebration of 44 years since the victory of the fight to defend the southwestern border and, together with the Cambodian army and people, defeat the Pol Pot genocidal regime (January 7, 1979).

Phung Cong Dung, Chairman of the HCM City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of HCM City, recalled Cambodia’s painful history under the rule of the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

In response to the urgent appeal from the Cambodian people and the Kampuchea United Front for National Salvation, volunteer Vietnamese soldiers stood side by side with the revolutionary armed forces and people of Cambodia to topple the Pol Pot regime and liberate Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979 to build a new society.

The date January 7, 1979 went down in history as a milestone of the faithful solidarity and special friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia as it was the day when the Cambodian people escaped from the scourge of genocide and entered a new era – the era of independence, freedom, and revival, and it also heralded a new chapter in the two countries’ neighbourliness, he noted.

Dung hailed Cambodia’s enormous achievements obtained over the last more than 40 years under the leadership of the Royal Government ruled by the Cambodian People’s Party and the Royal Family.

He also highlighted the two countries’ Friendship Year 2022, when a number of activities were held to mark the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations (June 24).

Addressing the gathering, Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Sok Dareth affirmed that the victory on January 7, 1979 was a historic event of great significance to the Cambodian people and bilateral ties.

The Cambodian people always keep in mind the sacrifice by volunteer Vietnamese soldiers to help liberate the country from the Pol Pot genocidal regime and prevent the return of this regime. They also treasure the Vietnamese people’s wholehearted assistance for the reconstruction and development of Cambodia, he went on.

The diplomat held that in the time ahead, the two countries should maintain cooperation, solidarity, fraternity, good neighbourliness, and high political trust; strongly promote bilateral trade, investment, and tourism; and respect and effectively implement all the signed agreements for the sake of common interests and their prosperity. They should also encourage young people to share experience and build up friendship so as to solidify the close-knit relations between the two nations' people./.