The delegates at the ceremony (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Mr. Hagiwara Seiji, Mayor of Mimasaka city; Ms. Suzuki Etsuko, Head of Mimasaka City Council and Mr. Norimoto Takashi, Head of the Japan -Vietnam Friendship Association, received the special and significant gift.

The ceremony was held together with the inauguration ceremony of "Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh space" at the museum of Mimasaka city.

Located at the centre of "Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh space" at the main hall, 1st floor, this was the first President Ho Chi Minh statue located in Japan on the occasion of the two countries preparing activities to mark the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Dao Viet Trung said that the statue is a significant gift of Vietnam, meeting the aspirations of the administration and people of Mimasaka city in particular and Japan in general. It is also a symbol of the friendship between two peoples and the deep strategic partnership for peace and prosperity between the two countries.

He also appreciated the good sentiments that the mayor and the people of Mimasaka city gave for President Ho Chi Minh and thanked them for the effective cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, Sports and Tourism and relevant agencies of Vietnam, to build and complete the project.

The mayor of Mimasaka city said that, on behalf of the administration and people of the city, he sent a letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister, expressing the sincere and earnest wish to have a statue of the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, President Ho Chi Minh, who is very admired by the Japanese people.

He emphasized that his city is proud to be the first place in Japan with a statue of President Ho Chi Minh, and confirmed that the museum would become a place for visitors to express their respect to President Ho Chi Minh, and the legendary history and culture of thousands of years of Vietnamese people. Mr. Hagiwara Seiji believed that the statue of Uncle Ho and the “Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh space” will help the museum welcome more and more Japanese and international visitors.

On this occasion, the leaders of Mimasaka city were pleased to report cooperation and exchange activities between Mimasaka city and Vietnam’s parties, such as a bilateral cooperation agreement with the University of Da Nang, implementing a program to receive Vietnamese trainees, and especially, the city being selected to receive the Vietnamese sports delegation during the time participating in the 2020 Summer Olympics./.

BL