State President Nguyen Minh Triet on Oct. 3 joined Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City authorities in a ceremony in Hanoi to inaugurate a monument dedicated to Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Ton Duc Thang.

Located on the Thong Nhat (Unification) isle in the compound of Thong Nhat Park , the alloy monument is 5.4m in height and weights about 20 tonnes. It features Uncle Ho shaking the hands of Uncle Ton to congratulate the latter on his election as Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1960.

Speaking at the event, President Triet expressed his gratitude to the two beloved leaders of the Vietnamese people -- President Ho Chi Minh - the great teacher of the Vietnamese revolutionary, who led the entire Party, army and people to overcome all difficulties to gain victories and Ton Duc Thang - President Ho’s best friend, who devoted all his life to work for the nation’s independence and the people’s happiness.

President Triet said “Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton are bright symbols of patriotism, evolutionary ideology, and strong will for reunifying the country and building it into a socialist-oriented rich and strong one which stands on a par with other countries around the world.”

The monument is a gift that the Ho Chi Minh City ’s Party, authorities and citizens presented to Hanoi on its 1,000 th founding anniversary.

The same day, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh attended a ceremony to kick off the construction of a monument dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai .
The monument, to be placed at the Great Unity Square in Pleiku, includes a 10m high bronze statue of President Ho Chi Minh and stone relief in the shape of lotus petals carved with images depicting the culture and history of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands./.