Opening of the Cycling for Peace Festival

(Web Portal) This morning, June 29, 2024, at the Hien Luong - Ben Hai Special National Monument, Quang Tri province coordinated with Thanh Nien Newspaper to organize the opening ceremony of the Cycling Festival for Peace, which is the opening event for the first Peace Festival held in Quang Tri on a national and international scale. Attending were Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Peace Festival; Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Dang Ba Viet; Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper Nguyen Ngoc Toan; Head of the Cycling Committee of the Vietnam Cycling - Motor Sports Federation Le Thi Sen.

Delegates and students standing on Hien Luong bridge (old) to welcome the athletes

The Cycling for Peace Festival attracted 600 athletes from 60 Cycling Clubs from provinces, cities and sectors across the country and 4 Cycling Clubs from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Festival for Peace emphasized: The Festival for Peace is a national and international cultural, sports and tourism event and activity held for the first time in July 2024, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement on the cessation of war and the restoration of peace in Indochina on July 21 (1954 - 2024), the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27 (1947 - 2024). This is an important event towards the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification on April 30 (1975 - 2025). The Peace Cycle Day is an important event of the 2024 Peace Festival, contributing to building a message towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world in the context of the world's current complex developments.

Delegates and athletes participate in the flag raising ceremony at Hien Luong Flag Tower

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee hopes that when coming to the 2024 Cycling Festival for Peace, visitors will feel special emotions and have interesting experiences, exploring tourist destinations with a strong Quang Tri character with a colorful picture bestowed by nature and created by human hands. A friendly and hospitable Quang Tri will be a must-see destination on the Vietnam tourism map.

In order for the Cycling for Peace Festival to be a great success, worthy of its position and significance, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Organizing Committee of the Festival to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the purposes, requirements, regulations, rules and assigned tasks; uphold responsibility, make every effort, fulfill the task of directing, organizing and operating the Festival scientifically, smoothly, effectively and absolutely safely.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Festival for Peace spoke at the ceremony.

The participating forces need to carefully prepare and organize well the activities of gratitude and repayment in the localities; thereby spreading the revolutionary flame, encouraging all classes of people, cadres, soldiers, especially the young generation to continue to strive for higher results in the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

At the opening ceremony, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper Nguyen Ngoc Toan said that over the years, the sport of cycling has developed strongly. However, a large-scale tournament has not been held in Quang Tri. That is also the reason why the idea of "Cycling Festival for Peace" was born. But more than that, the Organizing Committee also hopes that the festival will honor the value of peace, commemoration, gratitude and be an opportunity to introduce some typical historical relics in the province; promote the image of culture, land and people of Quang Tri to the people at home and abroad, about the aspiration for peace of the Vietnamese people in general and the people of Quang Tri in particular.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Peace Festival, presented the flag of departure to the Organizing Committee of the Peace Cycling Festival.

Athletes parade across Hien Luong Bridge (old)

In the jubilant atmosphere, in the middle of the historic Hien Luong bridge, when 70 students released flocks of pigeons, the delegates released balloons into the sky, it was also the time when 600 athletes began the parade, cycling for Peace. Crossing Hien Luong bridge, the place that marked the pain of the country's division for 21 years (1954-1975), the group participated in the cycling parade towards the Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery (Gio Linh district) and ended at Fidel Park (Dong Ha city).

At Truong Son National Martyrs Cemetery, the delegation burned incense to pay tribute to heroic martyrs and presented gifts to families with revolutionary contributions and students in difficult circumstances.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam and Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper Nguyen Ngoc Toan presented gifts to families with revolutionary contributions and students in difficult circumstances.

At Fidel Park, athletes and delegates will be able to sign and write messages on the festival's symbolic flag. The 54-square-meter flag (representing the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam) features the main symbolic motifs of a dove holding a rice ear, representing the desire for peace, prosperity and happiness, along with a multi-colored silk ribbon: red and yellow symbolizing the national flag; red is also the color of the blood of the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for peace today; blue is the color of peace, the color of life reviving and developing. And this flag will be sent to the UNESCO National Commission, as a message from peace-loving people.