Ex Party secretary braces up VN determination

Tran Quoc Huong (C) hands over the painting to Le The Chu, deputy chief editor of Tuoi Tre newspaper on June 20, 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Tuoi Tre

TUOI TRE

Former secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Tran Quoc Huong, visitedTuoi Tre newspaper in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday and donated his gift to be sent to Truong Sa (Spratly) soldiers.

He donated VND10 million (US$485) to the “Let’s Build Truong Sa” fund raised by the papers and handed over a painting featuring the poem “Nam Quoc Son Ha” written in calligraphy.

The poem was written by prominent general Ly Thuong Kiet who led the Dai Viet, now Vietnam, to defeat the Song Dynasty of China in 1075-77. After gaining total victory, he created the 4-line poem to confirm ‘the southern land belongs to southern emperors and it was long destined by God’.

The painting featuring the poem plays a token of Vietnam’s determination in protecting the nation forever, he told Tuoi Tre.

“It is the first Declaration of Independence of Vietnam,” concluded Huong, who was a leader of intelligence agents of Vietnam before 1975, including Vu Ngoc Nha, Pham Ngoc Thao, and Pham Xuan An.

Due to his old age, he wants Tuoi Tre to carry the gift to Truong Sa and put it in a museum there.

Also on Monday, Saigon Port staffs donated VND200 million ($9,700) to the Truong Sa fund.

Read more at www.tuoitrenews.vn