Paris (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in France and Montreuil’s administration and people paid floral tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his statue in Montreau Park on May 19 (local time) to mark his 131st birth anniversary (May 19, 1890).

A moment of silence was observed in commemoration of the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Chargé d'affaires Duong Nguyen Quoc Vinh expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards the local government for holding such a commemoration for President Ho Chi Minh on his birth anniversary every year. This demonstrates the long-standing friendship between generations of French and Vietnamese people, stemming from their struggle for independence and freedom in the past, he said.

He also highly appreciated Montreuil’s viewpoint on considering President Ho Chi Minh’s statue as well as remembrances and documents preserved and displayed at the Museum of Living History as a part of its indispensable cultural heritage.

Deputy Mayor of Montreuil Florian Vigneron, for his part, recalled the time President Ho Chi Minh lived in France to find ways to liberate the Vietnamese people and historic milestones in Vietnam-France relations.

He said it was an honour for him to attend the annual flower offering, adding that through this event, Montreuil wants to continue maintain the precious friendship between the city and Vietnam.

Vigneron once again thanked Vietnamese people for donating face marks to aid the city’s COVID-19 response efforts.

Previously, the embassy visited and laid flowers at House No 9 in Compoint Alley in Paris’ District 17, where President Ho Chi Minh lived between 1921 and 1923./.