According to recorded documents, he also visited this island country twice more, once on his way from Italy to Thailand in June 1928 and the other on his way back home after negotiations with France at Fontainebleau, October 1946.

Uncle Ho Statue in Colombo Capital inaugurated in November 2013 (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Overcoming all difficulties and hardships, with extraordinary will and energy in the journey to find the way to bring the Vietnamese revolution to victory, President Ho Chi Minh became a beloved leader not only of the Vietnamese people, but also the leader, inspiration, and cheerleader for the national liberation movement from oppression in all parts of the world, including Sri Lanka.

His visits to Sri Lanka and the affection of the Sri Lankan people for him created the foundation for the close relationship between the two countries. Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to officially establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in July 21, 1970.

Over the past 50 years, the good traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation have been continuously consolidated and developed, both bilaterally and multilaterally. The two countries have witnessed 53 high-level visits between the leaders of the two sides and this number will continue to increase in the coming time.

Many bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Joint Committee on Economy, Science and Technology, the political consultation, and the Joint Sub-Committee on Trade between Vietnam and Sri Lanka have been established, besides continuous progress in cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture, education, defense and security, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Although the two countries' trade turnover is still at a modest level of over USD300 million, there remain many potential opportunities for the two sides to continue striving to reach the milestone of USD1 billion as set out goals in the coming time.

Generations of leaders and people of Sri Lanka have always admired, respected and loved Uncle Ho. The fact that Sri Lanka agreed to let Vietnam build and inaugurate the monument of President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam-Ho Chi Minh space in the campus of the Colombo Capital Library in 2013, the only foreign leader monument in the world located in the public area of this island nation, is a vivid and everlasting symbol of the long-standing good relationship between the two peoples.

Since then, this place is not only a place for tourists and residents to visit the library, but also a regular address for many organizations such as the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka - Vietnam Solidarity Society to organize activities on educating the tradition about the good relationship between the two countries, and about the life and status of President Ho Chi Minh for the next generations./.

Compiled by BTA