Ho Chi Minh Monument in Moscow: A symbol of Vietnam – Russia friendship

The monument was sculpted by the Academician of the Soviet Union Academy of Arts, Vladimir Efimovich Tsigal (1917 – 2013). He was also the creator of many monuments in Russia’s major cities, including Moscow, Novorossiysk, and Saint-Petersburg as well as in foreign countries such as Germany, Austria, Japan and Azerbaijan.

The portrait of a smiling President Ho Chi Minh was engraved on a giant copper disc. Below the disc is a sculpture of a Vietnamese man standing up from his knees. Behind the disc is an image of two bamboo trees, a familiar image to all Vietnamese people and one widely known in Russia and many people in the capital Moscow.

The round disc illustrates an image of Vietnam's sun, which represents the aspiration for a brighter future for Vietnam. The two curved bamboos behind the disc illustrate the Vietnamese people’s efforts to overcome difficulties. Bamboo is a typical Vietnamese tree, it can be bent but is difficult to break, similar to Vietnamese will and strength.

The young Vietnamese man in rising from his knees as if he is preparing for the start of the road to a future similar to how Vietnam is reaching out to build a prosperous and peaceful future.

It can be said that every detail of the project has profound meaning, which proves that the Russian sculptor had a certain understanding and admiration of President Ho Chi Minh as well as the history, land and culture of Vietnam. Following Tsigal’s visit to Vietnam in 1985 to research Ho Chi Minh for his project, it took him years to complete the sculpture.

According to the Vietnam-Russian Friendship Association’s President and Editor-in-Chief of Bach Duong magazine Nguyen Dang Phat, Ho Chi Minh square and his monument in Moscow are symbols of friendship between Vietnam and the former Soviet Union, now Russia.

Since the monument was inaugurated on May 19, 1990 on the occasion of the President’s 100th birth anniversary, it has become a popular place to visit for Vietnamese people who are living and working in Russia as well as local residents.

Aleksandr Zhurnin, a Muscovite, described the sculpture as different from others in terms of structure. The sculpture vividly portrays a wise communist leader who always thought and acted for his people, he said.

The site has received positive comments from users of TripAdvisor.ru, the world’s largest tourism website, in the Russian language. Accordingly, Andrey Z., a user of the website, posted: “As for me, the name Ho Chi Minh recalls the Vietnamese people’s struggle for independence. When I was student at the Voronezh State Medical University, I had classmates who were Vietnamese. They told me a lot about their great leader and their love for him.”

Ho Chi Minh Monument in Moscow is also a topic for students’ essays in Moscow. In her essay, Maria Evghenievna, a seventh grader at a school in Akademichesky district, wrote that the monument is a meeting venue for Vietnamese people and former Soviet military experts. Every year on May 19 at 10AM, they gather together at the site to remember Ho Chi Minh's birthday. Ho Chi Minh Square also hosts many important events, including concerts and meetings in tribute to veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

It has been 40 years since Ho Chi Minh Square and the monument were inaugurated. It still stands timelessly as a symbol of the friendship between the two nations and is a an construction of great pride for the Vietnamese community in the host country.