Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 6, 1995

We went to the place of war victims and Hoshi Mina's body to pay our respects. In both places, wreaths were placed. Hoshi Mina's body place was under repair. We could not see his mummified body. We went to Ho Chi Minh's residence and workplace - which is next to our residence - where he lived and worked for years after the liberation of Hanoi. It is modest, with simple means of living, but cleanly in a large garden next to a pool. They gave explanations and I wrote sentences in the memorial book about the greatness of Ho Chi Minh and the struggles of the Vietnamese people.

Then we went to the war museum. They have collected some of the effects of the war. It is not bad and has some outstanding points; Like the important victory over the French in "Din Bin Phu", which has a good description of the film and operation area, as well as the operation of liberating Hanoi and the sight of the first tank that broke the gate of the Hanoi ruler's palace. In the office there, I wrote good sentences and we also got an explanation tape.

Then, at my request, they took us around the city streets and squares. In some parts of the city, the streets are not bad and the shops have both domestic and foreign goods. There are many lakes in the city, which have been formed from rainwater collection, in the hollow lands, and trees and parks have been built around them, and they have become interesting neighborhoods. We got off next to one of them. There were tourists and peddlers and spectators. There is also fishing and other entertainment. We had lunch, prayer and rest at the residence.

In the evening, General Giap, the commander of Din Bin Fouadam operation; I told them to bring them. The old man is 85 years old, but he is in good spirits. Ayatollah Khamenei reminded me in Tehran that it is good to see him. He was happy that I had asked him and cared about Din Bin Fu's historical operation. He gave a book that he had written about it; I said it should be translated. He gave an explanation about the plan of the operation, its cause and its effects, and said that a few days before the start of the operation, the tactic was changed on his own responsibility. This was one of the biggest decisions in his life. They are currently working on Vietnam's development strategy. He expressed a lot of interest in the Iranian revolution. I invited him to Tehran and gave him a gift.

We had the third round of negotiations with the president. Ministerial agreements were summarized; it is good They have reached an agreement in several cases. After Maghrib prayer, we went to the government guest house for a press interview, where a group of companions were there. The questions were usually economic and normal. The usual mood of journalists from other countries is not here. Basically, people are calm, down-to-earth and hardworking.

Then we went to the residence of the embassy; Recently, it has been rented for six thousand dollars per month. Mr. [Sidkamal] Sajjadi, [Iranian ambassador to Vietnam] and Alirezaee explained about the situation of the country and the ambassadors, prices, political and economic conditions, and prospects for cooperation, and I also spoke a few words. We came to the residence for dinner.