Memorial to President Ho Chi Minh on Co To Island recognised as special national site

A ceremony was held on May 7 on Co To Island off the coast of Quang Ninh Province to announce the recognition of the memorial site to President Ho Chi Minh as a special national site.

The event took place on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to the island in May 1961.

Co To Island is the only place that Uncle Ho allowed to have a statue erected in his honour while the leader was alive.

The memorial site dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh on Co To Island was built in 1968 and recognised as a national site in 1997.

Previously, the district of Co To hosts the national flag raising ceremony and the inauguration ceremony for new flagpole on the island on April 26.  The sacred national flag used in the flag raising ceremony on Co To island is respectfully presented by the soldiers of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command in a special sacred ceremony at the historic Ba Dinh Square on April 19, 2022.

The flagpole project on Co To island was presented to Co To district by the University of Transport and Communications in conjunction with President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command. Works on the pole started construction on March 14, 2022.  With a height of 27.9 meters from the ground to the top, the pole is built on the same scale as that at Ba Dinh Square in the capital city of Hanoi. 

The total investment capital is nearly VND 2 billion including monetary donations by the UTC’s officials and alumni and many working days of officers and soldiers of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Protection Command.

The project "Sovereign flagpole on Co To island" holds a cucial meaning in affirming Vietnam's territorial sovereignty. It also makes a significant contribution to arousing and promoting national pride, expressing Vietnamese people love for the motherland, the sea and islands.

The red flag with yellow star - Vietnam's national flag, symbol of independence, freedom and happiness of the Vietnamese people - is associated with the struggle for national liberation and defense of the fatherland. The image of a red flag with a yellow star flying proudly is the pride of every Vietnamese person; the affirmation of Vietnam's sovereignty; the respect and gratitude for great merit, and infinite gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic martyrs who fought and sacrificed their whole lives for the independence and freedom of the fatherland, for the society, for the peace and development of the Vietnamese people today.