The Vietnamese Permanent Representative Mission to ASEAN hosted a reception on the occasion of the Year of Snake 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 7.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh joined representatives from other ASEAN countries and ASEAN partners at the event.

Head of the Vietnamese mission, Ambassador Dang Vu Dung said this year Vietnam will continue to promote joint efforts in building the ASEAN Community based on three main pillars, namely Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community by 2015, striving for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Dung thanked permanent representatives of ASEAN countries, ambassadors of ASEAN’s dialogue partners and other friends for providing support and assistance to Vietnam in 2012, and expressed hope for better cooperative relations in 2013.

He also congratulated Le Luong Minh as Vietnam’s first ASEAN Secretary General and expressed his belief that the diplomat will accomplish his task in his 2013-2017 term to promote ASEAN’s goals and effectively contribute to the ASEAN Secretariat’s operations.

For his part, Minh said he hopes that the representatives of countries to ASEAN will continue to cooperate with and support the ASEAN Secretariat in working for the grouping’s common goal of building a united community by 2015.

The same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in China held a get-together on the occasion of the traditional Tet festival.

Addressing the function, Ambassador Nguyen Van Tho highlighted Vietnam’s achievements over the past year with the contributions of overseas Vietnamese community, an inseparable part of the nation.

On behalf of the Party and State, he extended the love and New Year greetings to overseas Vietnamese in China.

The Embassy also held an exchange with the Lao Embassy in China.

On February 6, the Lao Ambassador to Thailand paid a well-wishing visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on the occasion of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year festival.

Vietnamese Embassies in Romania and Ukraine also hosted receptions to welcome the Lunar New Year on February 2 and 4 with the participation of a large number of overseas Vietnamese.

VNA