The opening speech of Mr. Huynh Minh Chac, Chairman of People’s Committee of Hau Giang province, the head of direction board of the first Vietnam Rice Festival

The opening speech of Mr. Huynh Minh Chac, Chairman of People’s Committee of Hau Giang province, the head of direction board of the first Vietnam Rice Festival (on the opening night of November 28, 2009)

Dear:
- Comrade Nguyen Tan Dung, member of the Politburo and also the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- Comrade Le Kha Phieu, the former General Secretary of Central Committee of Vietnamese Communist Party
- Comrade Ho Duc Viet, member of the Politburo and secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, head of Central Party.
- The former retired Party and State leaders comrades
- Leaders of ministries, departments, Central organization, representatives of provinces, cities and revolutionary veterans.
- International guests, enterprises, scientists and farmers inside and outside the province

Xa No – Hau Giang is a geographic name attached to the history of commercial rice production and export over 100 years ago. Today, the province is assigned by the Government to cooperate with Central ministries, departments in organizing the first Vietnam Rice Festival.
On the behalf of the direction board and the organization board of the Festival and leaders of Hau Giang province, I merrily welcome the prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the former General Secretary and domestic and foreign representatives who attend the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Rice Festival.

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

The rice festival is to respect “Rice, Rice cultivating people and building the trade name of Vietnam rice” and to attach to adjustment, investment, renovation of production process, harvest technique, food process, increase of value and price, prestige of Vietnam food on the international market; is a chance to confirm that rice is the special vital demand in daily lives of people and is the main income source of rice producing people. This is also an opportunity for Hau Giang and province with commercial rice to approach production technique in order to increase the business production, the income for farmers and continue carrying out the 7th Central Resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural area.

By the way, on behalf of the Party, authority and people of Hau Giang, I sincerely thank the Central Party, National Assembly, Government, Fatherland Front, and Central ministries, Departments and other provinces for supporting Hau Giang province to carry out the socio-economic task well over 5 years ago.

The precious and effective direction from the politburo, National Assembly, Government and support, help from agencies of all levels to create advantageous conditions for Hau Giang to rapidly change the view of Vi Thanh town and many rural areas in the province through projects of key technique infrastructure development investment. Thence, the everage growth speed is increased 12% and contributes to reducing 10% of poor households. Focus on building 20 houses of gratitude. The investment result from social sources in the past time is over 20 thousands billion VND to build socioeconomic infrastructure. Creating jobs, increasing the life quality of people in the rural area, farmers, Khmer community, families supported by government policies, poor households, alone homeless old people.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Historical science has confirmed that Vietnam is not only producing rice but also home to the rice plant. The rice grain has made the country’s culture, society, history, and resources. Rice cultivation has accompanied Vietnamese people in the process of building and protecting the country. Today, we are very proud to be a country ranking 5th in rice production areas and 2nd in exporting rice to the world.
The Vietnamese rice way has come from mountainous to terraced fields, to water rice plant, from Red River’s civilization to the Mid of Vietnam – Tay Nguyen Highland. We are prouder to note that right in 1890, “the South of Six Provinces” had its name in the international map of rice exporters, and in 1913, after putting Xa No Canal into use, exported over 1 million tons of rice.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Together with trade promotion, display and introduction of products of agricultural machinery, farming tools, after-harvest technology, there are seminars “Xa No Canal – the Rice Way of Hau GiangRegion”, “The Vietnam Rice”, “The Vietnam Rice – Export and Integration”, and this morning’s seminar “Investment Promotion” with the participation of over 100 investors, and the registration of 20 projects totaling over VND 45,000 billion, beyond the expectation of Hau Giang’s authorities.
Guests can also enjoy and do shopping at “Vietnamese high quality products, cuisine, the Southern Amateur Singing” – the product of intangible culture from the countryside’s civilization and from merchants. They can get excited with “Ngo Boat Race” – a traditional activity of sports and culture among Khmer ethnic people to make festive atmosphere, meeting the needs for entertainment and shopping of guests.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Before the Festival, we had opened the works “Xa No Park – Hau Giang” and this Rice Festival is to welcome the great festival day “Thang Long – Hanoi of 1000 years”.

We have returned to “Au Lac Legend and Farm-Work Initiation Ceremony”, we are going to enjoy a performance typical to the North with number “Bail Out the Moon Light”, “To Pound Rice” of the Mid of Vietnam, and “Singing Rice Paddy” of the South, to join together to bring “The Vietnamese Pearl” to the whole world.

Tomorrow’s night November 29^th, “Charming Ao Ba Ba Festival” (the Southern loose fitting blouse” – a working costume for a farmer and a fashionable costume for a Southern village miss, the performance titled “Hau River – Red River in a thousand years of Thang Long” will make the Festival of November 30^th night full of music and colors.

We hope that international guests, domestic and foreign businesses, provincial representatives nationwide will bear in mind beautiful and interesting moments of Hau Giang and the Festival. With the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and distinguished guests I would like to declare the opening of the First Vietnamese National Rice Festival.

Thank you very much!