The War Veterans' Association of Hoa Binh province held the 7th "Exemplary war veterans" patriotic emulation congress, the 2024 - 2029 period, on October 16. The event was attended by Nguyen Phi Long, alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the provincial Party Committee; Khuat Viet Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association; Bui Duc Hinh, Standing Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council; other leaders of the provincial People’s Council and People’s Committee, representatives of departments, sectors, organisations, and localities; along with 225 exemplary delegates representing the more than 54,000 members of the association across the province.

Over the past years, the "Exemplary war veterans" patriotic emulation movement of the provincial War Veterans’ Association has developed in both depth and width, creating a strong ripple effect. It has encouraged association cadres and members to emulate to fulfil all assigned tasks while inspiring comradeship and solidarity among them to assist one another to develop livelihoods and reduce poverty. Many families of war veterans and companies run by war veterans have expanded production and business activities to make prosperity.

Currently, the association gathers 103 enterprises employing 3,895 workers, 27 cooperatives with over 920, 22 cooperative groups with 415, 1,692 farms with 5,984, and 2,164 business households with 4,964, all of which are led by war veterans.

During the 2019 - 2024 period, the association’s chapters at all levels have supported the construction of 112 houses for members, worth over 1.5 billion VND (59,347 USD), funded by the compassion fund for war veterans. A fund was set up for veterans to help one another to reduce poverty and develop livelihoods, with a total capital of 30.1 billion VND. Under the new multi-dimensional poverty standards, the rate of poor households among war veterans is expected to fall to 4.67% this year, from 6.23% in 2019.

Addressing the congress, Vice President of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association Khuat Viet Dung applauded the achievements of the "Exemplary war veterans" patriotic emulation movement in Hoa Binh.

In the time ahead, he requested, cadres and members of the association should uphold their sense of responsibility and take the lead in implementing local emulation campaigns, increase capacity building for cadres and members, comprehensively reform activities, align emulation campaigns with local political tasks, and detect and expand role models.

Meanwhile, Bui Duc Hinh, Standing Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, asked all-level chapters of the association to promote cadres and members’ role in preserving and bringing into play the virtues of "Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period, further enhance war veterans’ solidarity to help one another to develop livelihoods and improve the life quality, and properly implement gratitude expressing and charitable activities.

It is important to discover new role models to nurture and develop them into movements, thus creating a ripple effect across the association and society. The chapters also need to reinforce coordination to educate the young on patriotism and the revolutionary tradition while building a strong association in terms of politics, thought, and organisation, he added.

The congress elected seven official and one alternate delegate who will represent Hoa Binh at the higher-level congress.

On this occasion, the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association Central Committee presented a tapestry recognising the provincial association’s emulation achievements, and certificates of merit to the war veterans’ associations of Mai Chau and Yen Thuy districts.

The provincial People’s Committee also presented certificates of merit to five collectives and 10 individuals while the provincial War Veterans’ Association did the same to 34 collectives and 40 individuals with outstanding attainments in the "Exemplary war veterans" patriotic emulation in the 2019 - 2024 period.