General Secretary and President To Lam visits the historical site of the headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in Guangzhou.

Within the framework of the State visit to the People's Republic of China at the invitation of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife, on the morning of August 18, immediately after arriving in Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation, laid flowers and offered incense to commemorate Martyr Pham Hong Thai at Hoang Hoa Cuong Cemetery Park; and visited the historical site of the headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association.

General Secretary and President To Lam lays a wreath in commemoration of Martyr Pham Hong Thai. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA.

At Huanghua Gang Cemetery Park – a cultural tourism destination in Guangzhou – General Secretary and President To Lam, along with his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, laid flowers and offered incense to commemorate Martyr Pham Hong Thai, remembering the contributions of this revolutionary predecessor. They expressed profound gratitude for his heroic sacrifice for the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, and pledged to work together with the entire Party, army, and people to uphold the tradition of unity, revolution, and self-reliance, building a Vietnam that is increasingly developing rapidly and sustainably.

In front of the tomb stands a large stele inscribed in Chinese characters, summarizing the heroic deeds of martyr Pham Hong Thai. The tomb of Comrade Pham Hong Thai bears the inscription "Tomb of Martyr Pham Hong Thai" in both Vietnamese and Chinese. This place has become a significant historical site for Vietnamese people visiting Guangzhou to pay their respects.

Martyr Pham Hong Thai (1895-1924), from Hung Nhan commune, now Chau Nhan commune, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province, was a Vietnamese patriot who died in Guangzhou on June 19, 1924. Joining the Tam Tam Society, founded by Ho Tung Mau and Le Hong Phong in 1924, Pham Hong Thai was tasked with assassinating the Governor-General of Indochina, Henry Merlin, during Merlin's visit to the Sa Dien concession. Failing in his attempt, Pham Hong Thai threw himself into the Pearl River to commit suicide. The "Sa Dien Bombing" incident shocked the Chinese press and public opinion at the time, contributing to the encouragement of the emerging national liberation movements across Asia.

General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, along with the Vietnamese delegation, commemorate Martyr Pham Hong Thai. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA.

Out of respect and admiration for the self-sacrificing spirit of this great Vietnamese hero, the people of Guangzhou buried him on Nhi Vong Cuong hill, his tomb facing southwest so that his spirit would always yearn for his homeland.

Next, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, visited the historical site of the headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, located at house number 13 (now 248 and 250) on Van Minh Street, Guangzhou City - a place closely associated with the revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh from 1924 to 1927.

General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, were deeply moved to see the photographs documenting President Ho Chi Minh's years of close interaction with the local people in Guangzhou.

The historical site of the headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association at house number 13 (now 248-250) on Wenming Street, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, is a place closely associated with President Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary career in Guangzhou from 1924 to 1927. House number 13 served as the headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, the predecessor organization of the Communist Party of Vietnam, founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh), and published the newspaper Thanh Nien (Youth), the official organ of the Association's General Headquarters.

Here, Nguyen Ai Quoc opened three political training classes, training Vietnamese revolutionary cadres, with a total of 75 people. He was directly in charge and served as the main lecturer. His lectures were compiled and published as "The Revolutionary Path," a handbook for the activities of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, one of the first theoretical documents of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

In 1971, the People's Republic of China decided to preserve the house at 13 Wenming Street as a memorial site to President Ho Chi Minh, naming it "Headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association". The site is under the management of the Guangdong Revolutionary History Museum and has been classified as a National Historical and Cultural Monument of China.

In 2002, the Guangzhou city government invested in a comprehensive renovation of the historical site and inaugurated it on April 30, 2002, to commemorate the 112th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth.
Over the years, the Guangdong Revolutionary History Museum and the Guangzhou Cultural Bureau have preserved and promoted this historical site. The Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association Headquarters includes classrooms, President Ho Chi Minh's room, student quarters, a kitchen, and an exhibition hall displaying documents about President Ho Chi Minh's activities in Guangzhou from 1924 to 1927. This site is an important historical landmark for Vietnamese people visiting Guangzhou, a vivid testament to Nguyen Ai Quoc's vibrant activities in Guangzhou, and a symbol of the friendship between the two Parties, two States, and the people of Vietnam and China.

General Secretary and President To Lam emotionally wrote in the Guest Book: “The delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State is deeply moved to visit the historical site of the Headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League – the place where beloved President Ho Chi Minh spent years of revolutionary activity, where the first generations of steadfast Vietnamese communists were trained, and where the selfless and pure communist internationalism and traditional friendship, solidarity, and close ties, ‘both comrades and brothers,’ between the two Parties, two countries, and the people of Vietnam and China, have been witnessed. We sincerely thank the Chinese Party and State, and the Party Committee and Government of Guangdong Province for their continued care in preserving and protecting the historical site of the Headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League. The friendship between Vietnam and China will forever remain vibrant and enduring!”

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