The third Vietnam Days in Spain and Vietnamese Culture Space event kicked off at Circulo de Bellas Theatre in Madrid on May 23 (local time) under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

An art performance at the opening ceremony

The 2017 event is held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of establishment of Vietnam-Spain diplomatic ties.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minh said that over the past 40 years, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Spain have developed constantly, despite numerous ups and downs in the two regions and the world, with Spain becoming the first EU member to have a strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The bilateral strategic partnership has been realised in all cooperative fields from politics, defence, economics to education and culture with a long-term vision.

Among ASEAN nations, Vietnam is the largest trade partner of Spain. It is also an attractive destination for Spanish tourists, with over 58,000 arrivals in 2016, up 29 percent from the previous year and a two-fold rise compared with that of 2010.

Deputy PM Minh expressed his belief that the Vietnam Days event will help bring the Vietnamese nation and people closer to Spanish friends through a series of activities, such as art performances, film screenings, and a trade and investment promotion forum.

VNA