Northeastern Thai province commemorates Ho Chi Minh's 125th birthday

NAKHON PHANOM, THAILAND, May 19 (TNA) - Residents in Nakhon Phanom Province in the Thai Northeast have organized an event to commemorate the 125th birthday anniversary of Vietnam's late former Ho Chi Minh president, who stayed in the city from 1928 to 1931 during his struggle to regain Vietnam’s independence. Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Nguyen Tat Thanh, Nakhon Phanom Governor Adisak Thep-art and representatives of Thais of Vietnamese descent nationwide on Tuesday participated in the event in Ban Na Chok of Nakhon Phanom's Muang District, a small locality bordering Khammouan in Laos, dubbed the Thai-Vietnamese friendship village, which was once a safe house for Ho Chi Minh. The governor emphasized that the event was significant for both Thai and Vietnamese people, especially those in Nakhon Phanom, where there are now a number of Thais of Vietnamese descent. Activities in the commemorative event included merit makings for the late Vietnamese leader and the presentation of 30 scholarships to students to underline long-standing relations between Vietnam and Thailand. Born on May 19, 1890, Ho Chi Minh or Uncle Ho, Vietnam's national hero, led the Viet Minh independence movement during the Indochina War, making him a key figure in the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. Ban Na Chok in Nakhon Phanom has been developed to be a Thai-Vietnamese friendship village since 2003, representing a place of historical value for cultural tourism and study in the region. (TNA)