The ceremony was held in the northern port city of HaiPhong by the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence andthe municipal People’s Committee on October 22.
Vinh said since it was launched in 1961, Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea had become a new and important channel for transporting weapons andsupplies all the way from the North to the southern front during the resistancewar against the US.
He described it as a shining symbol of the revolutionaryheroism and the Vietnamese army’s intelligence, braveness, and determination toliberate and unite the nation. It is such an innovative and strategic initiative ofPresident Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam, he stressed.
The deputy minister went on to say that to fulfill today’smissions, forces on duty at sea and on islands, particularly the Vietnam People’s Navy, must successfully implement theParty's policies and the State’s laws relating sea and islands, thus turning Vietnam into a strong and rich countrybased on the sea-borne economy.
He also urged the forces to safeguard the country’ssecurity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and strengtheninternational marine cooperation to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development.
The existence of these two mysterious routes causedextreme difficulties for the US military and the South Vietnam government, whomade many attempts to prevent the northern army from supporting the southernbattles./.
VNA