World joins choir on Vietnam National Day

National Day was celebrated in colourful style across the land

Last week, many foreign leaders from all over the world sent congratulations to Vietnam’s Communist Party, state, government and National Assembly on the significant event.

Central Committee of the Communist Party of China General Secretary and Chinese President Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao sent congratulatory messages to Vietnamese counterparts.

Laos President and Party General Secretary Choummaly Sayasone, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh and National Assembly President Thongsing Thammavong, as well as Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, all extended their best wishes and congratulations to the Vietnamese people.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of the Cuba Central Committee Second Secretary and President of the State of Council and the Council of Ministers Raul Castro Ruz expressed his determination to further enhance friendship, co-operation and solidarity between the two countries.

United States President Barack Obama said that bilateral relations between Vietnam and the US had developed strongly, while Russian President Dimitri Medvedev was impressed by the Vietnamese people’s achievements in state-building and national economic modernisation.

Also, Vietnam receives best wishes from leaders of many countries including Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brunei’s King Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe, State Peace and Development Council Vice President General Maung Aye and Prime Minister U Thein Sein, Japanese King Akihito, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Singaporean President S R Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

On the occasion of the National Day, Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet urged all Vietnamese people “to join hands to grab all opportunities and weather all difficulties to comprehensively boost Vietnam’s doi moi cause and fulfill all tasks”.

“Such a nation that made glorious historic feats as Vietnam will make many new achievements in constructing a new Vietnam. Opportunities and a bright future are awaiting Vietnam and its people,” Triet said.

He said the doi moi cause, initiated in 1986, was creating important driving forces to the country’s on-going industrialisation and modernisation.

“However, the reaped achievements is still far from our country’s huge potential. Vietnam’s economic growth remains unstable and the economy’s competitiveness is still low,” he said.

“This has sparked an urgent need to build the country’s socio-economic development strategy for 2010-2020, so as to keep pace with the country’s new requirements of development,” he said.

The overall objective until 2020 includes developing Vietnam into a modernised and industrialised country with stable social and political climates to enhance people’s ameliorated living standards and to ensure territorial sovereignty and independence.