Co To, the island district at the forefront of the Fatherland, is the place honored to welcome Uncle Ho to visit and is also the only place on the land of Vietnam where Uncle Ho agreed to erect a statue of him while he was still alive. More than 60 years since the beloved leader visited the island, Co To is gradually becoming the pearl island of the Northeast of the Fatherland as Uncle Ho once instructed.
Flag- raising ceremony at the outpost island
On the morning of May 9, at the special national relic site commemorating President Ho Chi Minh on Co To Island, hundreds of central and local delegates, leaders and former leaders of Co To district through the periods, armed forces on the island, students and a large number of people and tourists participated in a special ceremony: the National Flag Raising Ceremony on Co To Island on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Co To Island on May 9 (1961-2023).
At exactly 6:30 a.m., the flag-raising ceremony was performed by officers and soldiers of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Protection Command as it had been done at Ba Dinh Square ( Hanoi ). To the majestic sound of the National Anthem, the 4.5m wide, 6.2m long national flag was raised to the top of the 29.7m high flagpole. Both the flagpole and the flag were the same size as the flagpole and the flag on Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi. The sacred ceremony marked an important milestone commemorating the day Uncle Ho visited Co To Island, reminding the army and people of the island district to always remember his advice: "Although the capital Hanoi is far from the islands, the Party and the Government always care about the islanders and hope that the islanders will unite, strive and progress".
Under the red flag with yellow star fluttering in the vastness of the Northeast sea and sky, the participants could not hide their emotions when they were present at the outpost island district in the solemn moment. "No matter how many times we have attended the flag-raising ceremony, our feelings are still the same as the first time, honored, proud and moved" - that is the sharing of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Long, Principal of the University of Transport, who directly participated in the process of coming up with ideas, designing and constructing the national flagpole on Co To Island. He expressed: "Today, present in Co To are many students, alumni, staff and lecturers of the school, those who have contributed to the construction of the flagpole. We hope that the presence of the national flagpole on the outpost island will awaken in each person the awareness of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, the belief in the leader who has passed away forever".
"You are the belief of victory"
More than half a century has passed since the small outpost island welcomed Uncle Ho's visit. Following Uncle Ho's teachings, the army and people of Co To have united, overcome all difficulties and challenges, step by step built the island district to develop strongly, rise up with the localities in the province and become a solid shield in the northeastern sea outpost of the Fatherland.
From a poor island district with slow economic development, Co To now has national electricity grid, fresh water, developed passenger and transport ship systems; the district's economic growth rate is always maintained at a high level of 15-16%/year, people's lives are constantly improved, the economic structure has shifted strongly in the right direction towards the tourism service industry.
Witnessing the dramatic changes of the island district today, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Suu, former Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Co To district, excitedly shared: "Every time we come here, we are very surprised. The island district has changed so much. All of this will be the motivation for Co To to continue to strive to move forward as Uncle Ho once advised."
Where the national flag flutters, Uncle Ho's statue still majestically looks out to sea, generations of Co To people still steadfastly stick with the wind and waves day and night, following his instructions. The bright pearl in the Northeast sea will certainly continue to shine with faith and passionate affection towards the father of the nation. "We are gradually building Co To into a complex of sea and island tourism services, developing resort, ecological, and entertainment tourism on the sea, a place to promote and preserve the ecological value of the island system in a sustainable manner, promoting local economic development, contributing to firmly protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands and national defense and security in the Northeast of the Fatherland" - Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Co To district, affirmed.
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