In his speech, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee NguyenVan Cao recalled that at 6:30 am on March 26,1975, the “Quyet chien,quyet thang” (Determined to fight, Determined to win) flag of Vietnamwas raised at Phu Van Lau (a relic inside the Hue Imperial City),marking the liberation of Thua Thien-Hue.
Contributing to the victory, nearly 19,000 local soldiers laid downtheir lives, 13,000 suffered injuries and some 5,000 were imprisoned bythe enemy, he noted.
The Thua Thien-Hue victory was amilestone of the Hue-Da Nang campaign that, together with the TayNguyen (Central Highlands) and Ho Chi Minh campaigns, freed SouthVietnam in 1975 and led to national reunification.
Cao said the province has achieved rapid and sustainable growth with itsGDP rising by an average of over 10 percent and tourism revenueaccounting for 55.3 percent. Meanwhile, per capita income reachedroughly 2,000 USD, reducing the household poverty rate to 5.06 percent.
On behalf of the Party and State, Politburo memberPham Quang Nghi, who is also the Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee,hailed Thua Thien-Hue’s achievements and contributions to both the waragainst American imperialists and current national development.
He highlighted the province’s role as a vital link in the war and itssignificant accomplishments in economics, culture, society, defence andsecurity.
Hue was the first city in Vietnam to bereceive the title “ASEAN City of Culture” and “ASEAN EnvironmentallySustainable City”.-VNA