Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Thai Thanh Quy, visits and works in Newhaven, United Kingdom

The delegation included: Mr. Le Duc Cuong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial Organizational Commission; Major General Bui Quang Thanh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Police; Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Mr. Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Directors of the Departments: Planning and Investment, Finance, Transportation, Agriculture and Rural Development, Foreign Affairs.

Also attending were Chargé d'Affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom, To Minh Thu, and embassy staff.

Welcoming, working with and participating in the delegation's activities were Newhaven Mayor Pinky McLean-Knight, Newhaven Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mike Shorer, and other town government leaders.

In May 1913, after working on large merchant ships between European imperialist countries and African colonies, Ho Chi Minh left the port of Le Havre in France for the United Kingdom.

Newhaven was the first place where the young patriot Nguyen Tat Thanh set foot in the UK. From here, he began four years of living in the UK, from 1913 to 1917.

To commemorate the 123rd birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (1890-2013) and the 100th anniversary of his arrival in the UK (1913-2013) on his journey to find a way to save his country, the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom and the Newhaven town government inaugurated the Memorial Plaque for him on May 19, 2013.

At the historic port marked by President Ho Chi Minh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy and members of the delegation respectfully laid flowers to commemorate, express their respect and gratitude to Uncle Ho, and recall his journey to find a way to save the country, which included the years he lived and worked in the UK.

Although his time in the UK was not long in the 30-year journey to find a way to save our country, it played a very important role in shaping his political ideology and finding the path to national liberation and independence.

The delegation also visited the Newhaven Museum, which houses many documents and images about the local maritime history, including images of the ferry that is believed to have once carried President Ho Chi Minh.

The delegates visited the exhibition area featuring a statue of Uncle Ho - a gift from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board, through the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom, to the museum in 2013 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his arrival in the UK on his journey to find a way to save his country.

The museum also has a miniature model of Uncle Ho's stilt house - a gift from Nghe An Province to the museum on the occasion of the twinning agreement between Vinh City and Newhaven in 2014.

Next, in a friendly working session between the Nghe An Provincial Delegation and the Newhaven Government, Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, the leaders of both sides reaffirmed the special connection between President Ho Chi Minh and Newhaven. They also expressed their desire to further enhance the good relationship between Nghe An and Newhaven in the future.

Mayor Pinky McLean-Knight shared her deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and expressed her pleasure in welcoming the delegation from Nghe An Province, his homeland, for a visit and working session.

Ms. Pinky McLean-Knight also discussed several cooperation contents to continue preserving and promoting Ho Chi Minh's heritage in Newhaven, contributing to deepening the friendly relationship between the town and Nghe An Province, as well as contributing to the development of relations between the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Speaking at the working session, Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy expressed his pleasure at visiting and working in Newhaven for the first time, a place marking President Ho Chi Minh's steps on his journey to find a way to save the country.

On this occasion, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy informed the Newhaven government leaders and delegates about the geographical characteristics, cultural traditions, and people of Nghe An, especially that the province has two world-renowned figures recognized by UNESCO: President Ho Chi Minh and poetess Ho Xuan Huong; and its folk songs, ví giặm, are intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Regarding the proposals from the Newhaven government, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy agreed and stated that Nghe An Province is ready to cooperate in expanding the exhibition space about President Ho Chi Minh at the Newhaven Museum, as well as provide digital data about him to support the museum's activities.

After this trip, Nghe An Province will also direct the specialized agency to introduce artists to participate in painting portraits of President Ho Chi Minh to display at an exhibition in Newhaven in 2025.

The head of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee also welcomed the proposal of a Newhaven travel company to explore opening a tourism route between the UK and Vietnam, including Nghe An.

Expressing his sincere gratitude to the Newhaven government and people for supporting the preservation and promotion of President Ho Chi Minh's relics, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy expressed the desire to promote cooperation between the two sides, primarily in cultural and economic fields as mentioned. The province will work through the connection of the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Kingdom to discuss and implement specifics.

On this occasion, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy respectfully invited Newhaven Mayor Pinky McLean-Knight and town leaders to visit Nghe An, thereby contributing to fostering the close relationship between the two sides, particularly between the two twinned localities: Vinh City and Newhaven.