This monument represents a traditional door of a Vietnamese village, built with tiles and decorated with dragon decorations imported from Vietnam and stone carved by the artisans of the Taza region. Two sentences are engraved on this gate expressing the feelings of Moroccan-Vietnamese families: “In gratitude to the fatherland of Morocco, let us be determined to forge success. In nostalgia towards the maternal country of Vietnam, let us be determined to forge friendship between Morocco and Vietnam”.
The inauguration of this monument, erected at the initiative of the Vietnamese embassy in Morocco in celebration of the friendship between the two countries, coincides with the 77th anniversary of the National Day of Vietnam, said the ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Rabat, Dang Thi Thu Ha, paying tribute to the many Moroccan soldiers who deserted from the colonial army and fought alongside the Vietnamese, thus contributing to the liberation of his country.
Relations between Moroccans and Vietnamese date back to the Indochina War (1946-1954) when young Moroccan soldiers, enrolled in the French expeditionary corps, deserted the colonial forces to join the Viet Minh (Vietnamese independence coalition), led by Ho Chi Minh.
The diplomat also noted that the Vietnam Gate in Morocco and the Morocco Gate in Vietnam, built between 1956 and 1960 in the north of the capital Hanoi by these Moroccan soldiers, represent a strong embodiment of the shared values between the two countries.
For his part, High Commissioner for former resistance fighters and former members of the liberation army and president of the Moroccan-Vietnamese Friendship Association, Mustapha El Ktiri, welcomed this initiative like the Moroccan Gate erected by the valiant Moroccan veterans in Bavi, north of the capital Hanoi, stressing that it aims to preserve and enhance the Moroccan-Vietnamese historical memory, which enshrines the sharing of a common past of struggles and sacrifices for the liberation.
