Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh today met a delegation of Russian scientists to whom he extended thanks for their support in keeping the embalmed body of Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh unharmed.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets academician Sidelnikov Nikolai Ivanovich, All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR), in Hanoi on August 14. Photo: VGP

Chinh showed his appreciation when meeting scientists of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR) led by academician Sidelnikov Nikolai Ivanovich.

He expressed his sincere thanks to the VILAR’s assistance to the Government of Vietnam in performing an important political task, which is the long-term preservation and absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh’s body.

The Russian scientists were in Hanoi for a conference held on August 14 to review the 30-year cooperation between the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board and VILAR in preserving the corpse of the late Vietnamese leader.

Ivanovich agreed with the PM to continue supporting the Vietnamese authorities in the mission, which demonstrates the two countries’ long-lasting friendship and partnership.

At the meeting, Chinh requested the VILAR expand cooperation with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and other institutes to make full use of herbs in Vietnam in the future.

On the same day, the Vietnamese PM, on behalf of Vietnam, appreciated the cooperation and assistance from the former Soviet Union and now from Russia, especially the VILAR scientists and medical experts, for this “particularly sacred and noble” task.

Vietnamese and Russian officials pay tribute to the late president on August 14. Photo: VGP

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a sacred place built to keep Ho Chi Minh's body after he passed away in 1969.

From 1969 to 1991, VILAR experts carried out their tasks under the agreement between Vietnam and the Soviet Union. In 1992, the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board worked with VILAR under cooperation agreements signed every 5 years.

Every year, VILAR experts come to Vietnam to directly preserve the body, teach, and conduct research with Vietnamese medical scientists. Meanwhile, Vietnamese experts also come to Russia to get trained on the issue.

Vietnamese experts have gradually mastered this special technology and continued the cooperation with VILAR to improve the preservation in the conditions of Vietnam.

The monumental marble edifice located in Ba Dinh Square in downtown Hanoi is a somber landmark in Hanoi and a tribute to a figure that has left an indelible mark on Vietnamese history. Since its inauguration in 1975 - a time of huge significance in Vietnamese history with the liberation of the south and the reunification of the nation - it has welcomed more than 60 million visitors, including over 10 million international guests from most countries over the world and international organizations.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. File photo