📝 OP-ED: Forty-seven-year national reconciliation, concord efforts of Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – April 30, 1975, started a new era of Vietnam – that ofindependence and socialism for the whole country with the liberation of thesouth and the reunification of the nation.

April 30, 1975, started a new era of Vietnam – that of independence and socialism for the whole country with the liberation of the south and the reunification of the nation (Photo: VNA)

Forty-seven years since the day, theParty and State have been working hard with the policy of nationalreconciliation and concord, eliminating war-left prejudices anddiscrimination, and developing a spirit of openness, respect, sympathy, andmutual trust, thus heading to the future together.

The policy was designed on the basis of core interestsof the nation and country – national independence, unification, prosperity,territorial integrity, people’s mastery, and solidarity between the 98 millionpeople inside the country and the more than 5 million abroad.

A tank of Tank-Armored Force No. 203, Division 304, Army Corps No. 2 enters the Independence Palace, April 30, 1975 (Photo: VNA)

In January 1994, the mid-term national conferenceof the seventh Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s Central Committee underlinedthe orientations of strengthening national great solidarity bloc, bringing intoplay all the creativness of workers, farmers and intellectuals as well as peoplefrom all walks of life, all classes and religions, including the overseasVietnamese community.

The significance of the national great solidarityand contributions of Vietnamese people both inside and outside the countrycontinued to be affirmed through the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13thNational Party Congresses.

Widely opening the arms for all Vietnamese people living away from the Fatherland, the Party and State have always created optimal conditions for them to return to their roots, visit their relatives, worship their ancestors and make contributions to the homeland (Photo: VNA)

For the national independence, solidarity andpeace for the people, Vietnam had to fight two long wars and suffered greatlosses. More than 1.14 million soldiers and over 4 million civilians werekilled or maimed for life during the wars.

Remembering the history and losses caused by thewar, Vietnamese people do not aim to deepen the prejudice and discrimination,but to treasure peace and the achievements they have made so far.

Vietnam recognises the attitude and goodwill forreconciliation and concord as well as contributions to the nationalconstruction by those who once turned their backs on the nation's coreinterests of independence, unification and territorial integrity.

For the national independence, solidarity and peace for the people, Vietnam had to fight two long wars and suffered great losses (Photo: VNA)

However, while the majority of Vietnamese peoplehave shown goodwill, some have still kept their hatred and destructive actions.Nearly half a century after the national reunification, they still call April30 “the national hatred day” or “black April”. National reconciliation andconcord are not an excuse for those people to make unreasonable demands on thecountry, distort the great historical significance of the National LiberationDay and turn a blind eye to socio-economic achievements Vietnam has reapedthrough the past 47 years, especially through nearly 36 years of “Doi Moi”(Renewal).

The reality has proved that a large number ofVietnamese people abroad welcome the country’s renewal cause and great nationalsolidarity policy of the Party and State and expect the country’s prosperityand development to match that of other countries in the region and in theworld. Many have visited their families and hometowns, while engaging ininvestment and business, scientific and technological, education, culture, art,sports cooperation as well as humanitarian and charity activities at home.

A corner of HCM City (Photo: VNA)

Widely opening the arms for all Vietnamese peopleliving away from the Fatherland, the Party and State have always createdoptimal conditions for them to return to their roots, visit their relatives,worship their ancestors and make contributions to the homeland. Many policieshave been rolled out to specify and complete regulations on entry, exit,residence and travel of overseas Vietnamese in the direction of openness,convenience and simplicity of procedures. At the same time, efforts have beenexerted to deal with remaining problems so as to make it easier for them inhouse purchase, inheritance, marriage, and child adoption. Humanitarian issuesleft by history have been settled with love and reason on the basis ofVietnamese morality, in order to realise the policy of great nationalsolidarity.

Still, a handful of Vietnamese people abroad whohave yet to return to the homeland to see with their own eyes the achievementsof the country's development, or have kept their prejudice and refused toproperly understand the situation of the country are deliberately runningagainst the common interests of the nation, and trying to harm the cooperativerelationship between their host countries and Vietnam.

The acts of deliberate opposing against the policyof national reconciliation, taking advantage of the policy of concord toundermine the great national solidarity bloc, running against the commoninterests of the nation and trying to harm the country will not be eligible toany tolerance. Being lost in the nation’s move forward, those small"grudge stones" are likely to deeply sink to the bottom of theriver./.

VNA