A delegation of Party and State leaders on September 1 laid a wreath in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum as the country is celebrating the 66th anniversary of National Day.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Le Hong Anh and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Huynh Dam joined the delegation.

Sixty-six years ago, President Ho Chi Minh read the historic Declaration of Independence at the Ba Dinh Square to establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Declaration affirmed that “Vietnam has the right to be a free and independent country and in fact it is so already. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilise all their physical and mental strength, to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty.”

Over the past sixty-six years, the entire Vietnamese nation has spared no effort to defend and build up the present Vietnamese Fatherland. Vietnam is now much more powerful and becomes a prestigious country in the international arena.

After that, the delegation also laid a wreath at the Monument to fallen combatants./.