When visiting Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, Vietnam, it’s impossible to not notice the striking Presidential Palace. Today though, we will be visiting a much subtler location in the square, a simple stilt house sitting next to the palace.
On Nov. 13, 2017, in front of the stilt house, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping presented 19 issues of People’s Daily as a state gift to Nguyen Phu Trong, who was then general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. One of the issues published a speech by Ho Chi Minh on its front page: There is no doubt that the friendship and close tie between our two peoples are permanent and unbreakable, and cannot be undermined or obstructed by anyone.
General Secretary Xi Jinping quoted on several occasions late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh’s well-known remarks, which defined China-Vietnam relations as a bond of “camaraderie plus brotherhood.” Wandering in front of the stilt house, you can feel the enduring bond between the two nations. China has been committed to promoting the building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries. This place will continue to witness new milestones in the next chapter of China-Vietnam friendship in the new era.
