Telegram from Mao Zedong and Others Congratulating the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on Its Eighteenth Anniversary
(September 1, 1963)

Comrade Ho Chi Minh, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam 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, Premier of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam:

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

The Vietnamese people are an industrious and courageous people with a glorious revolutionary tradition. Under the correct leadership of the Vietnam Workers’ Party and President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese people waged a protracted and heroic armed struggle against imperialist aggression and colonialist oppression and exploitation, achieving the historic and brilliant victory of the August Revolution. Since the restoration of peace in 1954, the Vietnamese people have made tremendous achievements in restoring the national economy and carrying out socialist transformation and socialist construction. Today, the Vietnamese people, guided by the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and building the nation through diligence and frugality, are advancing courageously to develop an independent and self-reliant economy and fulfill the First Five-Year Plan. The Chinese people are elated and inspired by the victories and achievements of the Vietnamese people.

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam has made unremitting efforts to uphold the 1954 Geneva Agreements and strive for the peaceful reunification of the fatherland. The people of southern Vietnam have waged a heroic and tenacious armed struggle in self-defense against the U.S. aggressors and their lackeys,

*Complete Works of Mao Zedong, Volume 46*

winning one major victory after another and setting a shining example for the oppressed peoples and nations of the world of daring to struggle and daring to win.

Recently, the Buddhists and people of southern Vietnam have launched a just struggle against the brutal rule and bloody repression of U.S. imperialism and the Ngo Dinh Diem clique. This struggle has received widespread support from all peace-loving countries and peoples. The Chinese people firmly support the struggle of the people of southern Vietnam and firmly support the statement issued by President Ho Chi Minh on the situation in southern Vietnam. We firmly believe that the people of southern Vietnam will surely drive out U.S. imperialism, overthrow the reactionary rule of the U.S.-Diem clique, and the Vietnamese people will surely accomplish the sacred cause of peacefully reunifying their fatherland.

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam has consistently pursued a foreign policy of peace, resolutely opposed the imperialist policies of aggression and war, and firmly supported the national liberation movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Standing guard at the southeastern outpost of the socialist camp, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam has made outstanding contributions to safeguarding the security of the socialist camp and preserving peace in Southeast Asia and the world. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam has consistently upheld the 1962 Geneva Agreements on Laos and firmly supported the policy of independence, peace, and neutrality for Laos. The Chinese people take heartfelt joy in the growing international prestige of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

China and Vietnam are close neighbors, as closely related as lips and teeth, sharing weal and woe. In the struggle against our common enemies and in the cause of building socialism, our two peoples have always sincerely respected each other, treated each other as equals, and rendered mutual assistance and support. During Comrade Liu Shaoqi’s visit to Vietnam last May, he received a grand, warm, and cordial welcome from the fraternal Vietnamese people, for which we once again express our heartfelt gratitude. This visit vividly embodied the brotherly friendship between the Chinese and Vietnamese peoples, as close as kith and kin, and marked the further consolidation and development of relations between our two countries and two parties. The joint statement issued by the leaders of our two countries is of great significance in opposing imperialism headed by the United States,

[1] Ngo Dinh Diem was then President, Premier, and Minister of Defense of the puppet "Republic of Vietnam" regime in southern Vietnam.
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*Telegram from Mao Zedong and Others Congratulating the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on Its Eighteenth Anniversary*

opposing the reactionaries of all countries, opposing modern revisionism, and safeguarding Marxism-Leninism.

The Chinese people will forever unite with the fraternal Vietnamese people, hold high the banners of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, and strive together to safeguard and strengthen the unity of the socialist camp and the international communist movement, oppose imperialism, and achieve greater victories in the struggle for world peace, national liberation, people’s democracy, and the cause of socialism.

May the fraternal friendship between the Chinese and Vietnamese peoples flow forever like the Yangtze and Red Rivers.

Mao Zedong
Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Liu Shaoqi
Chairman 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

September 1, 1963
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