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| PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting.__Photo: VNA |
A ceremony honoring revolution contributors was held in Hanoi on July 23 in the lead-up to the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27), in the presence of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Co-organized by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs; the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, Nhan dan (People) newspaper and the municipal People’s Committee, the event gathered 400 veterans and families of fallen heroes.
Prior to the event, Chinh and delegates observed a minute of silence in memory of those who fought for the country.
In his address, the leader affirmed that this is an occasion for the entire Party, people and army to express their gratitude for the immense contributions of martyrs, war invalids, and those who rendered service to the revolution.
PM Chinh highlighted the sacrifices of millions of Vietnamese who transformed the nation from a war-torn country to a middle-income developing economy with global influence. Vietnam now ranks among the 40 largest economies and the top 20 nations with the largest trade volumes globally. From a country under siege and embargo, Vietnam has by now established diplomatic relations with 193 countries and expanded economic and trade ties with 230 countries and territories, serving as a model for reconciliation and post-war recovery.
The Vietnamese Party and State have issued various policies and guidelines to offer concrete, practical, and effective support to war invalids, sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and others who rendered service to the revolution, considering this a key and regular political task, he said.
As of now, 99 percent of the families of revolution contributors have living standards equal to or above the local average, while 99 percent of communes and wards effectively manage affairs related to war invalids and martyrs.
The country has to date recorded 9.2 million revolution contributors and their relatives.
Since 2013, nearly VND 7.9 trillion (USD 329.1 million) has been raised to support families of revolution contributors. Over VND 12.7 trillion has been allocated for the construction of 67,700 new homes and the repair of nearly 45,900 others. More than 110,000 saving books worth over VND 403 billion have been presented to policy beneficiary families. Support has also been extended to those in extreme difficulty, with 2,412 living heroic Vietnamese mothers receiving lifelong care from various organizations.
Efforts to identify martyrs' remains have also been significant. Nearly 10,000 samples of martyrs' remains and over 3,000 biological samples from martyrs' relatives have been analyzed through DNA testing, resulting in the successful identification of more than 1,000 martyrs.
On the occasion, a DNA bank for unidentified martyrs and their relatives debuted.
PM Chinh and other Party and State leaders presented gifts to veterans and awarded DNA certificates to representatives of 10 martyr families, including four families who, after decades of waiting, were finally able to reconnect with their lost relatives.__(VNA/VLLF)
