President attends pen-brush opening ceremony at Nguyen Trai memorial site

President Vo Van Thuong on February 18 offered incense and attended the Lunar New Year pen-brush opening ceremony at a memorial area dedicated to national hero and world cultural eminent personality Nguyen Trai in Nhi Khe commune in Hanoi’s outlying district of Thuong Tin.

President Vo Van Thuong attends the Lunar New Year pen-brush opening ceremony

Nguyen Trai, whose pen name was Uc Trai, was born in Chi Ngai commune in Chi Linh district in the northern province of Hai Duong in 1380. He followed Le Loi in the resistance war against the Ming invaders and made great contributions to the nation’s glorious victories.

Beyond his military prowess, Nguyen Trai was a prolific literary figure, producing a vast array of literary works, including 110 poems and the monumental "Binh Ngo Dai Cao" (Great Proclamation upon the Pacification of the Wu), which stood as one of the earliest declarations of independence in the nation's history.

In recognition of his invaluable contributions, UNESCO honoured Nguyen Trai on his 600th birth anniversary in 1980, acknowledging him as a world cultural eminent personality, an eminent military strategist and a talented politician.

Commencing on November 14, 2022, the construction of his memorial site saw significant progress, with nearly all major components nearing completion.

Meanwhile, the pen-brush ceremony embodies a longstanding cultural tradition of Thuong Tin. It encourages all local officials, Party members, and citizens to prioritise education, strive in labour and boost production. The first strokes of writing in the Lunar New Year often carry wishes for goodness, luck and happiness.

In the morning the same day, President Thuong visited workers who are building Ring Road No. 4 in the Hanoi Capital Region.

The road has a total length of 112.8km, passing through Hanoi, and Hung Yen and Bac Ninh provinces, with a total investment of over 85.81 trillion VND (3.57 billion USD)./.

VNA