An Giang (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam and his entourage offered flowers and incense at President Ho Chi Minh Monument, Phu Quoc Martyrs’ Temple, and Phu Quoc Martyrs’ Cemetery on November 20 morning, as part of their working trip to the southern province of An Giang.
The General Secretary expressed profound gratitude for the immense contributions of President Ho Chí Minh and heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom, and people’s happiness.
The Ho Chi Minh Monument, situated at Ho Chi Minh Square, features a 20.7m statue of the late leader, with the bronze-alloy figure itself measuring 18m, a 0.3m bronze base, and a 2.4m pedestal made of natural stone. The figure shows the revered leader with his right hand over his heart - an iconic gesture conveying the message “The South is in my heart”.
Behind the statue is a large-scale bas-relief comprising 484 stone panels arranged into two sides. The front features landscapes and iconic sites from the 17th parallel southward, associated with President Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary activities. The reverse depicts distinctive landmarks affirming Vietnam’s maritime and island sovereignty from Sa Vi Cape in northern Quang Ninh province to Tho Chau island in Phu Quoc Special Zone.
The Phu Quoc Martyrs’ Temple stands as a cultural and historical site embodying the Party, State and people’s gratitude toward fighters who died for national liberation, construction and defence, while serving as an educational venue to pass revolutionary traditions to younger generations.
Completed in 1985 after construction began in late 1983, the adjacent Phu Quoc Martyrs’ Cemetery spans 34,070 sq.m and includes a traditional house, a reception hall for martyrs’ families, and parking facilities. Its burial grounds occupy 25,695 sq.m, divided into eight sections, with nearly 3,300 martyrs’ graves./.
