136th Anniversary of Birth of Ho Chi Minh
May 19, 1890

Ho Chi Minh Commemorated in Toronto

The Canada-Vietnam Cultural and Education Council held a seminar in Toronto on May 16 on “Ho Chi Minh’s Friendship Around the World.” Its aim was to discuss and appreciate the contributions of Ho Chi Minh in promoting cultural ties and friendship between the Vietnamese people and peoples of Canada.

Vietnamese youth studying in Viet Nam and second generation Vietnamese youth living in Canada participated in the seminar virtually to hear the presentations and join the discussion. The main speaker at the seminar was His Excellency Pham Vinh Quang, Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada.

Phan Thi Quynh Trang, the founder and President of the Canada-Vietnam Cultural and Education Council, welcomed everyone and outlined the work of the council to build cultural and educational links between Canada and Viet Nam. She then introduced the Ambassador. In his comments Ambassador Pham informed the youth that Ho Chi Minh was the creator of modern Viet Nam and made indelible contributions in many fields – politics, journalism, culture, military strategy, literature, poetry and others, leaving a historic legacy for the Vietnamese people. He encouraged the youth who were listening to find out about Ho Chi Minh themselves and to embody his spirit in making their own contributions to deepening the ties between Viet Nam and Canada.

The next speaker, Professor Nguyen Dai Trang, an internationally known Ho Chi Minh scholar and author of many books on his life and work, introduced her book The Ballads of Ho Chi Minh. The ballads were composed by Vietnamese musicians and musicians from different parts of the world to pay tribute to Ho Chi Minh’s historic contributions to the Vietnamese people and all humanity. She noted in particular that culture is an important expression of a people’s identity and thought material which can serve the revolutionary transformation of society.

Professor Joe Pateman from York University spoke of Ho Chi Minh’s internationalism and singular ability to build ties of solidarity between the Vietnamese people and all peoples of the world in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism which continues to inform humanity’s drive for democracy, peace and freedom. The final speaker was Centennial College Professor Luis Silva who gave a brief presentation about Ho Chi Minh’s particular sympathy for and solidarity with the African peoples and then made closing remarks.

Phan Thi Quynh Trang thanked everyone for participating and encouraged everyone to join in to strengthen and expand the work of the Council, particularly in the schools and colleges, to contribute to deepening the fraternal ties between Canada and Viet Nam.

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