The ceremony recreated the milestone of a force shift, an important stage in Vietnamese history, contributing to the victory in the struggle for national unification of the entire nation.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Northward regrouping event (1954 - 2024), on the evening of November 16, Vietnam Television and the Central Propaganda Department coordinated to produce a television program with the theme "Deep Love and Heavy Meaning" at 3 locations: Ca Mau, Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa.
Attending at the Ca Mau bridge were: General Secretary To Lam; former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; former Standing member of the Secretariat Le Hong Anh; Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia; Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien; Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Nguyen Duy Ngoc; Central Committee member, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Ca Mau province Nguyen Tien Hai.
At the Hai Phong bridge point, there were the participation of: Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh; Party Central Committee member, Secretary of the Hai Phong City Party Committee Le Tien Chau.
At the Thanh Hoa bridge point, there were comrades: Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central External Relations Commission Le Hoai Trung; Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Doan Anh.
At the 3 connecting points, there were also the participation of Central Party Committee members, leaders of central and local ministries, departments and branches, historical witnesses and a large number of local people.
The ceremony recreated the milestone of a force shift, an important stage in Vietnamese history, contributing to the victory in the struggle for national unification of the entire nation.
The decision to send cadres, soldiers and children of compatriots from the South demonstrated the profound strategic vision of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee in creating the foundation for building a socialist North and consolidating forces for the struggle for unification.
The rally to the North demonstrated the patriotism and will of every Vietnamese citizen. They were willing to sacrifice themselves and their families and contribute to the common cause of the country; demonstrating the solidarity between the North and the South as one family of our people and our country.
In 1954, according to the Geneva Conference, our country took the 17th parallel as a temporary military demarcation line. The waves of the open sea brought the gathering ships to the North, carrying with them the longing for their homeland and the burning desire for a day of reunion and unification of tens of thousands of cadres, soldiers, and compatriots in the South.
From the promise of 2 years to return, the largest force movement in history lasted 21 years before the country was completely unified. The children of that day gathered in the North, trained to become "red seeds" to continue the work of building the country to develop and reach far.
In Ca Mau, the main point where the television bridge takes place is the Monument of the train gathering to the North (Song Doc town, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau).
The art program praised the dedication and sacrifice of the cadres, soldiers and people of Ca Mau, the people of the South who gathered in the North; said goodbye to their homeland and loved ones to enter the long-term resistance war for the day the country was unified, the North and the South reunited. Those who left promised to return in victory, those who stayed were determined to build the revolutionary base area.
70 years ago, this was the place where the 200-day gathering took place to bring cadres, soldiers, and people from the South to the North to live and study. Ben Song Doc has now become a historical relic, marking a golden page in the process of building the North, fighting, liberating the South, and unifying the country.
Hai Phong organized a television bridge at the City Theater Square. At the end of 1954, the Southern Student School System was established, receiving special attention from Uncle Ho, the Party and the State.
Hai Phong welcomed about 15,000 Southern students out of a total of about 32,000 Southern students who gathered in the North. After the study process, from the zero-number wharf in Hai Phong, there were "red seeds" planted in the North who returned to liberate and build the South.
Now, many of them are senior officials of the Party and State, scientists, teachers, artists, prestigious businessmen, contributing much to society. That has affirmed that the largest student movement in history is considered successful in all three aspects including human training, educational model and long-term training strategy.
Uncle Ho's special nursery and the Party's policies during the resistance years have inspired Hai Phong's education and training strategy in the current period. Over the years, Hai Phong has always strived to be a leading city in education and training for future generations.
The memorial area for compatriots, soldiers and students from the South who gathered in the North (Quang Tien ward, Sam Son city, Thanh Hoa province) is also a bridge point of the commemorative program.
70 years ago, Thanh Hoa was honored to be trusted by the Party Central Committee, the Government and Uncle Ho to be chosen as the first locality in the North to welcome compatriots, cadres, soldiers and students from the South.
The reception venue was located at Lach Hoi port, Quang Tien commune (now Quang Tien ward, Sam Son city). This was a meeting of special historical and political significance, sacred and extremely touching between the people of Thanh and the children of the South who had gathered in the North.
September 25, 1954 became an unforgettable historical moment, especially when the first ship cut through the waves and entered the Lach Hoi - Sam Son estuary amidst the cheers of thousands of Thanh Hoa people happily welcoming their sons and daughters from the South.
Thanh Hoa is the locality that welcomes the largest number of compatriots, cadres, soldiers and students from the South in the country. Despite hardship and poverty, the people of Thanh Hoa at that time devoted their best to their compatriots from the South.
During 9 months (from September 1954 to May 1955), Thanh Hoa welcomed 45 trains carrying 47,346 cadres and soldiers; 1,775 wounded soldiers; 5,922 students and 1,443 families of cadres regrouping to the North.
Thanh Hoa people, directly Sam Son people, organized to welcome, care for, and serve the living needs of cadres, soldiers, and compatriots from the South who had gathered.
At the ceremony, a live art program was held at 3 locations in Ca Mau, Thanh Hoa, and Hai Phong, including 3 chapters. Of which, chapter 1 with the theme "Aspiration for Unification" recreated the historical context of the gathering event to the North from the correct decisions of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee in the troop transfer.
Chapter 2 "A strip of iron" shows the spirit, before the decision to gather in the North, the army and people of the whole country were determined to carry it out with all their heart and enthusiasm.
Chapter 3 "Glorifying Vietnam" conveys the meaning of the launching event that has become a historical lesson for building an era of national growth.
Along with that, the comprehensive report "Solidarity - The strength to build a rising Vietnam" shows that, throughout the history of Vietnam, solidarity has always been the guiding principle for all actions to achieve glorious victory.
The more difficult and arduous the situation, the more valuable the strength of solidarity is. In difficult times for the country and the people, the spirit of solidarity is clearly evident: During the epidemic, the country is united and shares. The people of the North wholeheartedly turn to the South. During storms and floods, especially during storm No. 3 or the recent storms and floods in the Central region, the people turn to their blood brothers...
In the report, General Secretary To Lam affirmed: We are facing a historic opportunity to bring the country into a new era, an era of national growth. That is the era under the leadership of the Party, successfully building a Vietnam with a rich people, strong country, democracy, equality, civilization, successfully realizing the wish of President Ho Chi Minh and the aspiration of the entire nation to bring the country on par with the world powers.
More urgent than ever, the top priority is to consolidate and promote the great national unity bloc under the leadership of the Party. This is one of the key solutions to bring the country into a new era.
Historical practice shows that the great national unity bloc creates great strength and is the source of all successes of the Vietnamese revolution. Only great unity can bring victory.
The event of regrouping to the North has become a symbol of patriotism, of national solidarity, of determination and unity of our army and people, leaving for a greater cause, for the noble revolutionary cause that always shines. The sacred values of the event still exist on the path of building our nation's career to this day.
The television program commemorating the 70th anniversary of "Rallying to the North - Deep Love and Heavy Meaning" is a journey to look back at the historical milestones of the nation, where there are contributions and sacrifices that created independence, peace, prosperity and happiness.