Miklós Balogh
15/05/2025 06:00
This beautiful monument was inaugurated in the year of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, following the long and bloody war of national liberation and the unification of the country. In front of the relief depicting the heroic Vietnamese people stands the statue of their world-famous and wise leader, the founder and first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, symbolising their inseparable unity. On the back of the relief is engraved the creed of the leader of the liberation struggle: “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.” Here, the freedom-loving spirit of our two nations meets. This is why the people of Zalaegerszeg also cherish this statue, “Uncle Ho”, as they call it, because they recognise and respect the heroic Vietnamese people who fought for their country's freedom with fearless courage.
This public artwork is part of the city’s modern history. In 2005, on the Day of Hungarian Culture, the city’s cultural committee invited political parties, civil organisations and individuals to “adopt” public artworks as a gesture of personal commitment and care for their preservation. I, Miklós Balogh – then a Member of Parliament and teacher – symbolically adopted the Ho Chi Minh monument.
At my invitation, His Excellency Ambassador Tran Huu Tung was guest of honour at our celebration marking the 115th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s birth, held on 19 May 2005. József Hóbor, a secondary school teacher and long-standing member of the Hungarian–Vietnamese Friendship Society, opened the exhibition Images of Contemporary Vietnam before the commemoration at the statue, and also organised a discussion between his students and members of the Vietnamese delegation. Mayor Endre Gyimesi received the Ambassador and his delegation during their introductory visit to City Hall, where they also met Zoltán Kis Bódog, President of the Zala County Assembly, and László Varga, Member of Parliament and former County Assembly President.
Since then, the leaders of Zalaegerszeg have welcomed visiting delegations to City Hall on 19 May and 2 September each year. In more recent years, wreath-laying ceremonies and speeches have also been held at the monument itself, to the delight of our Vietnamese friends who travel in large numbers from Budapest. The new Vietnamese ambassadors always make their first provincial visit to Zalaegerszeg – a great honour for the citizens and leadership of our city. Our long-time friend and excellent interpreter, Le Trong Ha, has been an invaluable and resourceful partner in supporting all forms of cooperation and resolving any issues that arose.
His Excellency Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung, a career diplomat, did not study in Hungary and did not speak Hungarian, but he was deeply committed to strengthening Hungarian–Vietnamese friendship. During his term, the bilingual documentary volume 60 Years of Hungarian–Vietnamese Relations (1950–2010) was published. Unfortunately, it makes no mention of the Ho Chi Minh monument in Zalaegerszeg, the only one of its kind in Europe, which symbolises the friendship between our two peoples in a dignified way. During his farewell visit, the Ambassador announced that Vietnam would place the Zalaegerszeg Ho Chi Minh monument under state protection and renovate it. At that time, local councillors Ferenc Kiss and Gábor Major bravely and decisively resolved the disputes surrounding the statue, helped to coordinate the major renovation, and took part in the ceremonial re-inauguration alongside Balázs Góra, a socialist politician from Zala County and now a city councillor. The renovated monument and new park were inaugurated in 2015, followed by a ceremonial tree planting and the unveiling of a memorial plaque. In 2018, the friendship between our two countries was elevated to a strategic partnership, and economic relations have grown steadily between Hungary and Vietnam, home to 100 million people.
During the tenure of Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Thao – also an ambassador of Vietnamese culture and art in Hungary – two historic events took place in Zalaegerszeg–Vietnam relations. In 2023, a grand and highly successful Vietnamese Cultural Day was held in Zalaegerszeg, where the people of the city were presented with a rich display of Vietnamese culture, art, gastronomy and development achievements – received with gratitude and appreciation. The expansion of the paved surface at the monument and the creation of a floral park area were further lasting developments contributed by the Vietnamese Embassy to our city. It is no coincidence that upon her departure, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Thao was honoured with the title “Honorary Citizen of Zalaegerszeg” in recognition of her work by the City of Zalaegerszeg.
The author is a retired teacher, former Member of Parliament, and symbolic adopter of the Ho Chi Minh monument