Attending the meeting were: Major General Vu Van Dien, Commander of the Ho Chi Minh City Command; Colonel Nguyen Thanh Trung, Political Commissar of the Ho Chi Minh City Command; and other members of the Party Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Command.

Major General Vu Van Dien, Commander of the Ho Chi Minh City Command, delivered a speech at the meeting.

Seventy-seven years ago, given the particularly important strategic location of the Saigon-Chợ Lớn urban area, following the policy of the Regional Party Committee, on December 15, 1948, the Command of Zone 7 (now Military Region 7) decided to establish the Saigon-Chợ Lớn Zone under Zone 7, comprising the city of Saigon-Chợ Lớn, Gia Định province, and Trảng Bàng district, Tây Ninh province. This event marked the birth of the Saigon-Chợ Lớn Zone Staff Office, the predecessor of the Staff Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Command today.

Over 77 years of construction and development, the Staff Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Command has continuously consolidated and strengthened its Party organization, built a clean and strong Party organization, and built a comprehensively strong agency and unit; actively and proactively researched, understood, predicted, assessed, and coordinated to effectively implement local military and national defense tasks, building a national defense system and a national defense posture linked with a people's security posture, and building a solid defense zone.

The Party Committee and the Command of Ho Chi Minh City presented flowers to congratulate the Staff Department.

Speaking at the gathering, Major General Vu Van Dien highly praised the generations of officers and soldiers of the Staff Department for their continuous efforts, overcoming all difficulties, hardships, and sacrifices; always remaining absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people; and proactively and creatively fulfilling all assigned tasks. Many collectives and individuals of the Staff Department have been awarded or posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, and many comrades have become generals, high-ranking leaders, and commanders of the Army, Military Region 7, and the Ho Chi Minh City Command.

Major General Vu Van Dien requested that officers and soldiers of the Staff Department continue to uphold their glorious traditions, unite, and resolutely overcome all difficulties and hardships, constantly strive to excel, maintain the fine qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, and successfully complete all assigned tasks.

Text and photos: NGUYEN PHU

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/tin-tuc/bo-tu-lenh-tp-ho-chi-minh-gap-mat-ky-niem-77-nam-ngay-truyen-thong-phong-tham-muu-1016817