Telegram of Congratulations from Mao Zedong et al. on the Sixteenth Anniversary of the Founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (September 1, 1961) Comrade Ho Chi Minh, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Workers’ Party and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; Comrade Truong Chinh, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; Comrade Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam:

On the occasion of the sixteenth anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese people, we extend our warmest fraternal congratulations to the Vietnamese Workers’ Party, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the Vietnamese people.

The industrious and courageous Vietnamese people, under the correct leadership of the Vietnamese Workers’ Party and Chairman Ho Chi Minh, have achieved tremendous successes in socialist transformation and socialist construction. At present, the Vietnamese people are engaged in selfless labor, confidently striving to realize the First Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy. The Chinese people rejoice at every victory of our brotherly Vietnamese people.

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam has steadfastly pursued a policy of peace in its foreign relations, resolutely opposed the aggressive and war-mongering policies of U.S. imperialism, actively supported the liberation movements of oppressed nations, and made significant contributions to safeguarding peace in Asia and throughout the world.

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people have consistently adhered to the provisions of the Geneva Agreements〔1〕, making unremitting efforts to achieve the peaceful reunification of their motherland and to maintain peace in Indochina. However, due to obstruction by U.S. imperialism, the terms of the Geneva Agreements have not been fully implemented, and the Vietnamese people’s aspiration for the peaceful reunification of their country remains unfulfilled.

We fully sympathize with and firmly support the Vietnamese people’s patriotic and just struggle against U.S. imperialist aggression, against the terrorist rule of the traitorous clique in South Vietnam, and for the peaceful reunification of their motherland, and we are deeply convinced that this struggle will surely achieve final victory.

A long-standing traditional friendship, shared Marxist–Leninist ideology, and common goals in building socialism have forged an eternal and unbreakable unity between the peoples of China and Vietnam.

Over the past several years, political, economic, and cultural relations between the two countries have continuously developed and expanded. The recent friendly visit to our country by a government delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, headed by Premier Pham Van Dong, has further strengthened the friendly and mutually supportive cooperation between China and Vietnam and deepened the close fraternal friendship between our two peoples. This is not only in the fundamental interests of both countries but also conducive to the unity of the socialist camp and the cause of world peace.

We wish the brotherly Vietnamese people even greater achievements in their endeavors to build socialism and to strive for the peaceful reunification of their motherland.

May the unbreakable fraternal friendship between the peoples of China and Vietnam flow on ceaselessly, as enduring as the Yangtze River and the Red River!

Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Liu Shaoqi, President of the People’s Republic of China Zhu De, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China

Date Month Year Printed according to the edition of the People’s Daily dated September 2, 1961.

Notes [1] Refers to the various agreements reached at the Geneva Conference from July 20 to 21, 1954, concerning the restoration of peace in the Indochinese countries, including the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam, the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Laos, the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Cambodia, as well as the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference. The main contents of these agreements were: the restoration of peace in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; the withdrawal of French forces from Indochina; respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of these three countries, with non-interference in their internal affairs; and the stipulation that these three countries would not join any military alliances and would not permit foreign military bases to be established on their territories.