HÀ NỘI — The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on Friday evening opened an exhibition celebrating 80 years of culture and arts of the Việt Nam People's Army (VPA) in the pedestrian space around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hà Nội.

The event saw the participation of General Phan Văn Giang, Politburo member, Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence; Sen. Lieut. Gen. Trịnh Văn Quyết, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, member of the Standing Board of the Central Military Commission, and Chairman of the VPA’s General Department of Politics; and others.

In his opening speech, Quyết emphasised that over the past 80 years of the VPA’s establishment and development, under the leadership and direction of the Party, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, particularly the General Department of Politics, generations of "soldier-artists" formed a strong cultural and art force that encouraged the public to participate in the struggle for national liberation and reunification.

According to him, the military is not only the cradle of talented commanders but also nurtures the soul and talent of "soldier-artists". With the achievements gained, the culture and arts of the military have truly become a "mainstream" of Việt Nam's revolutionary culture and arts.

He expressed his confidence that the exhibition will be a "red address" that ignites the souls of the Vietnamese people, fostering love for the homeland as well as pride in the solidarity between the military and the people and the 80-year glorious tradition of the VPA.

It also aims to preserve and develop advanced Vietnamese culture and arts, embracing national identity, and enriching the cultural and artistic values of Việt Nam’s revolution in the late President Hồ Chí Minh era.

At the opening ceremony, a grand art programme themed "80 Years of the Epic of Soldier-Artists" was held to honour the contributions of the VPA soldier-artists to the ideological and cultural front and highlighted the role of military culture and arts in the nation's revolutionary cause, in national building and safeguarding, and in establishing a people's defence.

The exhibition will run until December 22. — VNS