Singapore named a new orchid species after General Secretary To Lam and his wife.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly attended the orchid naming ceremony at the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens this morning. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also attended the ceremony.

The orchid naming ceremony is a diplomatic ritual that Singapore reserves only for special high-ranking guests visiting Singapore.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Photo: VNA

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong personally welcomed General Secretary To Lam and his wife at the main gate of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and invited them to the flower naming ceremony. Accordingly, Singapore decided to name this new flower “Papilionanda To Lam Linh Ly”.

After signing the guest book, General Secretary To Lam and his wife attached nameplates to flower trees and visited the orchid garden.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, attended the orchid naming ceremony. Photo: VNA

The Singapore Botanic Gardens was established in 1859 and is Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site (July 2015). The Orchid Garden has two areas, including the VIP Orchid Garden, which grows orchids named after world leaders, and the Celebrity Orchid Garden.

With tens of thousands of orchids, including about 1,200 natural species and more than 2,000 hybrids, this is considered the largest orchid display in the world.

Also this morning, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the Vietnamese delegation, offered flowers to commemorate President Ho Chi Minh at the statue and memorial stele of President Ho Chi Minh in the grounds of the Asian Civilizations Museum.

The General Secretary, his wife and the delegation offered flowers and respectfully paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh, national liberation hero and outstanding cultural figure.

General Secretary To Lam and the delegation took a souvenir photo at the area where Uncle Ho's statue was located. Photo: VNA

The delegation observed a minute of silence to commemorate Uncle Ho's great contributions, expressed deep gratitude for his selfless sacrifice for the people and the country; and vowed to continue to strive, study and follow his ideology, morality and style.

With love for Vietnam and honoring one of the great foreign figures who set foot in Singapore, in May 2008, on the occasion of the 118th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth and the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Singapore, the National Heritage Board of Singapore inaugurated a memorial stele for President Ho Chi Minh in the grounds of the Asian Civilizations Museum.

Then, friends who love Vietnam at the National Heritage Board of Singapore, the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore and the Ho Chi Minh Museum had the idea of placing a statue of President Ho Chi Minh next to the memorial stele. By September 2011, the statue of Uncle Ho placed next to the memorial stele was inaugurated.

The Asian Civilisations Museum, located next to the Singapore River, depicts the historical connections between Asian cultures and between Asia and the world. The museum's large space also contains statues of many other Asian leaders and celebrities.