Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet on Nov. 11 attended a “Great National Unity” festival at model communities in Hanoi and the northern province of Phu Tho.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (C) and residents of Ha Dong District, Hanoi, pose for a photo in the district on Nov. 11

The festivals were held to mark the 79th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF).

Talking to villagers in Phu Tho’s Kim Duc village, President Triet emphasized the importance of unity in both national defence and construction, to which the VFF, the nation’s largest social organization, has significantly contributed since its foundation on November 18, 1930 as the Vietnam National Reunification Front.

“National unity has doubled the strength of the nation, leading to its numerous great achievements and improving Vietnam’s international prestige,” Triet said.

Kim Duc has been recognized as a model of great unity in economic development. There, hunger has been eliminated and just nine of 87 families live under the poverty line. Although in a remote mountain location, the village has managed to put all children of school age in school. The small village is also home to a number of university and vocational college graduates.

Party General Secretary Manh hailed the VFF-sponsored movement for building a health cultural life in communities nationwide, saying that it will serve as a firm spiritual foundation for society as a whole.