The Association for the Promotion of Vietnamese Culture (APCV) in France held a programme in Paris on January 20 to introduce the culture of Vietnam as an activity to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet).

The event included performances of lion dance and Vietnamese martial arts, a show of “ao dai” (a traditional costume of Vietnam), and traditional dishes, among others.

On this occasion, the APCV celebrated its 5th anniversary and introduced a new logo bearing the image of a flying Lac bird, an image often seen on Vietnamese bronze drums. It also received the official decision to establish the Ao Dai Heritage Club in France, in the presence of Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, District 20 Mayor Eric Pliez, and Standing Vice President of Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club Hoang Thi Ngoc Mai.

At the event, Professor Phan Van Truong, Vice President of the Foundation to Honour the Vietnamese Language and the National Language, introduced overseas Vietnamese and French friends about the history of the Vietnamese language.

Mayor Eric Pliez said that he believes culture is the factor that connects people, and District 20 is proud to have a rich and diverse culture brought by many foreign communities including the Vietnamese.

Appreciating the contribution of Vietnamese people to the local cultural diversity, he believed that the Vietnamese community will continue to promote its unique strength and cultural values.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang said that the event is a success as it brings together many representatives of Vietnamese associations, overseas Vietnamese and French friends.

He said over the past five years, the APCV made efforts to honour Vietnamese culture in France, with unique initiatives, and received great support from the Vietnamese community and French friends.

Founded in January 2019, the APCV gathers more than 200 members who are Vietnamese people and foreigners living in five countries, namely France, the US, Sweden, Japan, and Vietnam. In addition to its headquarters in Paris, it has branches in San Francisco (the US), Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam – RoK’s hottest business-class travel destination

Vietnam is the destination with the highest number of business class bookings, followed by Thailand and Japan, according to data from Gmarket’s analysis of 2023 airline ticket sales in the Republic of Korea (RoK) market. 

Gmarket's Data released on January 19 showed that a major e-commerce platform in the RoK, the number of purchases of premium airline tickets such as business class tickets increased significantly last year as demand for overseas travel increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the number of business class flight bookings increased by 254% in 2023, 3.5 times higher than in 2022.

Despite the long-term economic recession, more and more Korean residents are inclined to enjoy “fly and vacation” amenities, as they are willing to spend on comfortable airplane seats.

Analysis of airline ticket sales also showed that Vietnam accounts for 18% of Korean business class bookings, followed by Thailand (16%) and Japan (12%).

In the second half of 2023, business class ticket bookings reached 68%, double the first half level of 32%.

Large domestic airlines such as Asiana Airlines and Korean Air accounted for 51 percent of total business tickets booked, proving that Koreans favour domestic airlines.

Seizing the above demand, Korean airlines have developed marketing strategies aimed at offering distinct benefits, and quickly responding to customer tastes.

Vietnamese Day held in Venezuela

The Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and Santa Maria University on January 19 held a Vietnamese Day event in Caracas to introduce Vietnamese historical traditions, and cultural values to Venezuela’s young people.

The event was part of activities marking the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries (1989 - 2024), as well as realising Vietnam’s Cultural Diplomacy Strategy until 2030. It saw the participation of hundreds of university students in Caracas.

Speaking at the event, Giselle Petrica, Vice Principal of the university, emphasised that it is an opportunity for Venezuelan students to learn about Vietnam's culture and history, as well as traditional friendship between the two countries' people.

She expressed her hope that the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela will continue to coordinate to organise seminars on Vietnam to help the young Venezuelan generation gain more information about Vietnam, especially about its achievements during its national construction and development.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vu Trung My briefed the students about major milestones in Vietnamese history since the nation gained independence in 1945.

He hoped that the young generation of the two countries, especially students, will increase exchange activities, introduce the culture and history of the two peoples to each other.

At the event, students from universities in Caracas also conducted exchange activities and talked about the history, socio-economic development as well as foreign policy of Vietnam.

They also learned about Vietnamese handicraft products, and famous places, posed for photos in Vietnamese traditional “ao dai” and conical hats as well as enjoyed Vietnamese dishes.

Established in 1953, Santa Maria University is one of the leading academic centres in Venezuela with strength in law, international relations, medicine, economics, and architecture training.

Huge potential for cooperation between Vietnamese, Romanian localities: PM

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam visited Prahova county on January 21 as part of his official visit to Romania.

Introducing the county’s economic potential and opportunities of cooperation with Vietnam, officials of the Romanian Government, Prahova, and the county’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Prahova, a leading industrial, oil and gas, tourism, and cultural hub of Romania, established the twin relationship with Vietnam’s Hoa Binh province in 2019. It is home to the first oil refinery of Romania and the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, which has long-standing cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation and has considerably contributed to bilateral oil and gas partnerships.

Romanian officials said Vietnam has posted fast growth for years, signed many free trade agreements, and made good use of chances generated by global economic and political changes.

Perceiving that Vietnam will be the next “tiger” of Asia, they called on businesses of Romania and Prahova to grasp opportunities of investment cooperation with the Southeast Asian country. In return, Romania can act as a gateway for Vietnamese goods to enter the European market with a combined population of 500 million.

PM Chinh appreciated Romania’s assistance and support for Vietnam, saying he is impressed with Prahova’s development, particularly in IT application, digital transformation, public service management, and social security ensuring.

He emphasised achievements in the cooperation in manpower training for the oil and gas industry, a young sector but also a substantial contributor to Vietnam’s development over the nearly 40 years of reforms.

There remains huge potential for locality-to-locality cooperation, which has an important role to play in the two countries’ relations, he noted, adding that some localities of Vietnam and Romania are set to sign cooperation memoranda during his visit.

Vietnam is ready to strengthen ties with Romania, including Prahova, renew old cooperation impetuses, and promote new ones, especially in emerging areas and big trends of the world that both sides have demand for such as digital economy, green economy, circular economy, and sharing economy, the PM stated.

He pointed out that the two economies boast many complementary advantages, noting as Vietnam has a population of about 100 million while Romania about 23 million, labour could be a new cooperation impulse. Besides, Vietnam will continue investing in and expanding major oil and gas projects, so the two sides can foster partnerships in investment, technology transfer, and manpower training.

Vietnam and Romania have big opportunities and wishes for cooperation. The largest obstacle to their ties now is geographical distance, but it could be addressed by stepping up digital transformation and e-commerce and increasing authorities’ assistance for businesses, according to the leader.

During the trip, PM Chinh is scheduled to have meetings with top leaders of Romania to identify orientations and measures for augmenting bilateral ties in different fields, including economy, trade, and investment.

He voiced his hope that the two countries’ businesses and localities will cooperate with each other to help realise the common vision and targets, pledging the best possible conditions for their exchanges, partnerships, and cooperation.

Vietnamese ambassador highlights growing Vietnam-Germany relations

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh has highlighted the growing relationship between Vietnam and Germany during an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the state visit to the Southeast Asian nation by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his spouse from January 23-24.

The strategic partnership between Vietnam and Germany has developed substantively across multiple fields in recent times, especially after Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s official visit to Vietnam in November 2022, Ambassador Minh said.

Political trust has been enhanced through meetings at all levels, he said.

2023 alone saw more than 40 working trips to Germany undertaken by deputy ministers, and deputy heads of people’s committees of Vietnamese localities.

Meanwhile, many heads of German states and business leaders paid visits to Vietnam in 2022 and 2023. Most recently, the Minister-Presidents of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) and Thuringia visited Vietnam, with a record number of up to 50-70 businesses taking part in each.

Frameworks implementing economic diplomacy have been strengthened and expanded. Despite economic difficulties, Germany agreed to grant 61 million EUR in non-refundable aid to Vietnam for the 2024-2025 period. The two sides held the second session of the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation. Many Vietnamese businesses resumed promotion activities and attended trade fairs in Germany. Both sides worked to ease difficulties to promote the implementation of Germany’s ‘lighthouse’ projects in Vietnam.

Germany is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in the European Union (EU), while Vietnam is Germany’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Bilateral trade hit more than 11 billion USD last year (according to data unveiled by Vietnam) and 17.12 billion USD as of November 2023 (according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany - Destatis).

As of the end of 2023, there had been 464 valid projects invested by Germany in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 2.74 billion USD. Vietnam invested 283.3 million USD in 37 projects in Germany.

Minh highlighted that important gains have been recorded in bilateral cooperation in other fields such as green development, energy transition and climate change response. Germany has continued to provide support for Vietnam to implement its commitments within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and businesses of the two countries have proactively seized cooperation opportunities in this field.

Besides, many important resulted have been recorded in cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges, through a series of activities held in both countries’ localities, helping to popularise cultures and promote mutual understanding.

It’s noteworthy that the Federation of Vietnamese Associations in Germany was established at a congress held in Berlin late last year. The federation is expected to connect and unite all individuals, organisations and associations of Vietnamese people, acting as a bridge to further promote the friendship between the two peoples.

Ambassador Minh said the coming visit to Vietnam by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is of great significance as it is his first overseas trip in 2024 and is also the first exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries in 2024 - a pivotal year towards the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties in 2025.

Notably, he visited Vietnam in October 2016 in his capacity as Vice Chancellor of Germany, and in March 2008 when he was Foreign Minister of Germany. Visiting Vietnam this time, he will have the chance to inspect German invested lighthouse projects signed during his 2008 visit.

During his stay in Vietnam, President Steinmeier is scheduled to meet with senior Vietnamese leaders to discuss measures to further promote Vietnam – Germany cooperation in multiple fields as well as to exchange views on regional and international issues of shared concern.

High on the agenda will be economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Germany. President Steinmeier will be accompanied by a group of large German businesses operating in various industries.

According to Ambassador Minh, Vietnam has become a leading attractive destination for German businesses. Renewable energy, green transition and sustainable development, manufacturing industry, services, logistics, and education are priority areas of cooperation of both sides. A seminar is expected to take place between businesses accompanying the President and German businesses plus German business organisations operating in Vietnam.
 
An area of both sides’ interest is cooperation in vocational training and bringing Vietnamese skilled workers to work in Germany amidst serious labour shortages in the European country. A Letter of Intent on labour cooperation is expected to be signed on the occasion, Minh said.

PM visits Romania’s institute for research & development in informatics

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 21 morning (local time) visited Romania’s National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics (ICI Bucharest) as part of his official visit to the European country.

ICI Bucharest General Director Adrian-Victor Vevera briefed the PM on the institute – the leading strategic research institute with a history of more than 50 years in developing information technology human resources for Romania. It is ready to work with Vietnam.

For his part, PM Chinh said Vietnam and Romania need to strengthen cooperation in all fields, including science and technology, in the coming time.

He proposed ICI Bucharest consider Vietnam a priority partner in the process of expanding international cooperation. Immediately,  the two sides should exchange delegations to jointly develop cooperation plans and programmes.

He wished ICI Bucharest would help Vietnam with high-quality human resources training.

The PM encouraged Vietnamese and Romanian experts to jointly research and develop cooperation projects, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, and the application of information technology in various areas.

He said he believes that the two countries’ cooperation in informatics and information technology will create new opportunities and contribute to promoting their relations.

On the occasion, ICI Bucharest and the Vietnam National Institute of Digital Technology and Digital Transformation exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the witness of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

President Steinmeier’s visit highly anticipated by Vietnamese people in Germany

The Vietnamese community in Germany are delighted at the coming state visit to Vietnam by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thinh, head of the research group at TU Dortmund University and Standing Vice Chairman of the federation of Vietnamese people associations in the European nation.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of a state visit on January 23 - 24, Thinh considered the trip as an important milestone in bilateral relations, a demonstration of continuous successes of Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” and stature in the international arena, and also an affirmation by the German Government that Vietnam is a strategic partner with a new standing.

He noted that the Vietnamese and Vietnamese-origin community in Germany hope the enterprises accompanying President Steinmeier during the visit will sign many cooperation deals on diplomacy, politics, science - technology, economy, culture, and tourism with the Vietnamese side.

The community are glad about the visit as they also consider this a good sign for them to implement more activities to contribute to the homeland.

Thinh expressed his hope that the two countries’ cooperation potential will be better tapped into to develop their strategic cooperation more intensively and extensively, thereby contributing to both sides’ prosperous development.

Mentioning scientific and technological cooperation, he said Vietnam is an important partner of many German ministries and sectors. Over the past years, the European country has carried out many programmes to assist Vietnam in many areas such as the International Climate Initiative, the Export Initiative Environmental Protection, climate protection, and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the realisation of the net-zero emissions target by 2050.

Germany is strong at scientific research serving green growth, green technology development, climate protection, and climate change adaptation, which are also the fields Vietnam have had many cooperation projects on with and received financial aid from Germany.

The two sides have also worked together in machinery engineering, health care, Industry 4.0 technology, innovation, startup, human resources training, and exchange of high-quality manpower, Thinh said, noting that these fields boast huge potential needing to be further capitalised on via bilateral connections at all levels, from central to local ones.

With regard to the innovation network he currently chairs, Thinh said the network, established in September 2019, has held frequent activities to connect Vietnamese and Vietnamese-origin intellectuals, experts, scientists, undergraduates, and post-graduates in Germany with those in the homeland and the world. It has also organised workshops to help promote the competitiveness and stature of Vietnamese intellectuals in Germany, and built projects on technology transfer, scientific - technological cooperation, and sci-tech application in the Southeast Asian country.

In the coming time, it will boost support for the Vietnam National Innovation Centre in terms of innovation and modern technology development, he added.

Hanoi man arrested for anti-State charge

The Hanoi police on January 19 announced a decision to launch criminal proceedings against and arrest a man in the capital city on the charge of making, storing, distributing, or disseminating information, documents and items against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code.

The arrestee is Phan Van Bach, 49, a resident of Trung Tu ward, Dong Da district.

The case is under investigation in accordance with the law.

Vietnam receives 62 deportees from China following illegal entry

Sixty-two Vietnamese citizens who had stayed illegally in China were returned to Vietnamese authorities on January 19 at the Ly Van Border Gate in the northern province of Cao Bang.

The group were made up of 14 men and 48 women and were aged between 18 and 62, hailing from multiple localities nationwide such as Soc Trang, Tay Ninh, Hai Phong, Phu Tho, Lai Chau, Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Lao Cai.

The citizens admitted that they had all illegally entered China to work. They then were asked to complete procedures in accordance with legal regulations before being handed over to their respective localities.

The same day, border guards of Cao Bang province handed over two Chinese citizens to the Guangxi General Station of Immigration Inspection of China following their illegal entry into Vietnam.

Royal documents on Huế Citadel building displayed

Nearly 100 royal documents on Huế Citadel building are on display for the first time at Ngọ Môn Square in the Imperial City of Huế.

The display, Kinh Thành Huế - Dấu Xưa Còn Lại (Huế Capital City - Old Traces Remain), is co-held by National Archive Centre No1 and Huế Monuments Conservation Centre, helping local people and tourists have more information to better understand the ancient citadel.

"We want to popularise the value of the royal documents," said Trần Thị Mai Hương, the centre's director, at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

"The royal documents tell the story of the citadel building in the past. Through the exhibition visitors have a chance to get to know the culture and history of this ancient land."

Huế Citadel was the capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty for 140 years. Although the Nguyễn dynasty has passed, Huế Citadel retains its remarkable ancient architecture and is also the most popular tourist destination attracting many visitors.

As Huế was the capital of the country from the 17th to the 20th centuries, its citadel had been well constructed during that time. The Huế Citadel includes three layers of walls.

Under the Nguyễn Dynasty, Huế Citadel was a centre of political power and policy application, according to Huế centre's director Hoàng Việt Trung.

"Throughout its history, Huế Citadel witnessed significant events, including royal ceremonies, political meetings, and even battles," Trung said.

"This area witnessed the glorious time of Nguyễn Dynasty, and ups and downs of the last dynasty," said Trung. "Huế Citadel closed the feudal period when King Bảo Đại abdicated in 1945. Tragically, the citadel suffered extensive damages from war and the passage of time.

"The erased and the existing works remain in names in Nguyễn royal documents."

The display includes two parts. The first part introduces history and development of the citadel from Phú Xuân - Thuận Hóa and Huế, and the second part features traces of Nguyễn dynasty.

In 1802, right after reunifying the country and ascending to the throne, King Gia Long, the first king of the Nguyễn Dynasty, decided to choose Phú Xuân - Thuận Hóa to build the Huế Citadel.

At that time, people only travelled by elephants and horses, the king thought that the capital must be located between the two ends of the country to facilitate the exchange of information. After that, people planned the citadel and construction began in 1805. King Gia Long and ministers of the Nguyễn Dynasty took care of the entire field survey process.

"The exhibition introduces a systematic set of documents including Nguyễn royal documents with photos from the 19th century and the old maps," said Huế-based researcher Nguyễn Xuân Hoa.

"It is not only Huế Citadel building under King Gia Long reign, but the royal documents also introduce old capitals of other Nguyễn dynasties. They are very reliable."

As well as being the stronghold of the last independent Vietnamese dynasty, the citadel played an important role in the history of Việt Nam. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 and the remaining buildings are being restored and preserved.

The display is expected to be a permanent feature at Ngọ Môn Square.

Famous composer releases album praising the country

Composer Nguyễn Văn Chung, who is famous for songs of family, children and love, has released a music album honouring Việt Nam.

The album consists of 11 songs in praise of the nation, President Hồ Chí Minh, HCM City, youth and love in pop and rock ballads.

Chung told local media that the album expresses his gratitude to people who devoted their life to protect the country.

“I want to compose music about Việt Nam, President Hồ Chí Minh, soldiers in Trường Sa (Spartly Archipelago) and HCM City,” he added.

The album’s theme song titled Viết Tiếp Câu Chuyện Hoà Bình (Writing about Peace) spreads a message of peace to young generations and how they can follow their predecessors’ path to protect and develop the country.

The song was awarded the C prize in the music category given by the Việt Nam Unions of Literature and Arts Association early this month, and the best song prize in 2023 given by the HCM City Music Association.

The album also includes the song Làm Theo Di Chúc Thiêng Liêng (Implementing President Hồ Chí Minh’s Testament), highlighting the President’s significant contributions to the country’s independence, and Những Lá Thư Trường Sa (Letter from Trường Sa) telling stories of soldiers on Trường Sa who are charged with the task of safeguarding their homeland’s sovereignty.

Songs in praise of the achievements of Chung’s hometown are also featured, including Bản Tình Ca Giữa Lòng Thành Phố (Love Song in the City) and Đô Thị Rực Rỡ (Bright City).

Chung said, “Writing songs in praise of the country is hard, but I believe that the songs will be popular among youth unions.”

The album features Nguyễn Duyên Quỳnh, winner of the music reality show Người Kể Chuyện Tình (Singing about Love) launched by the Vĩnh Long Radio and TV Station in 2019, and singer Nguyễn Phi Hùng.

Composer Chung began his career in 2003 after working for Nhạc Xanh Studio, one of the city’s private music agencies.

His music is pop and R&B, with Vietnamese folk elements.

He has written several hundred ballads, including top hits such as Vầng Trăng Khóc (Tears of the Moon), and Chiếc Khăn Gió Ấm (Beautiful Scarf).

Chung’s most famous song is Nhật Ký Của Mẹ (Mom’s Diary) about a mother’s love, which was released in 2011 by well-known singer Hiền Thục. It quickly became famous in the country and overseas.

The song brought Chung many nominations for local prestigious music awards, such as the Cống Hiến (Devotion) and Mai Vàng (Golden Ochna) Awards.

Chung is working on a songbook of 300 songs for children and animated videos for these songs. 

Border cities of Vietnam, China enjoy fruitful relations

Mong Cai city in Vietnam’s northeastern province of Quang Ninh obtained many major achievements in all fields of cooperation with neighbouring Dongxing city of China’ Guangxi province in 2023, and hopes to enhance bilateral ties in the time ahead, a local official has said.

In 2023, Mong Cai and Dongxing signed seven memoranda and agreements on such fields as building a peaceful border, establishing a friendship exchange mechanism between the two cities’ Party committees, and promoting project implementation and investment by both sides’ businesses to serve as bases for cooperation activities.

They have held routine talks, shared information in a timely manner, and coordinated to resolve issues related to customs clearance and exit - entry via the Mong Cai - Dongxing international border gate pair. They resumed comprehensive cooperation and successfully organised the 15th Vietnam - China international trade and tourism fair in the Vietnamese city last year.

Besides, the two cities have stepped up cultural and tourism integration, and formed a Vietnam - China border tourism belt through several people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In December 2023, they held a forum on promoting cross-border tourism via their international border gate pair, creating conditions for businesses to explore the travel market in China’s coastal localities.

Ho Quang Huy, Vice Secretary of the Mong Cai Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, affirmed that the Vietnam - China traditional friendship is a precious common asset of the two Parties, States, and peoples.

He attributed local socio-economic development partly to the comprehensive cooperation with Dongxing.

At a recent meeting held in Dongxing ahead of the Year of the Dragon 2024, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Mayor of this Chinese city Li Jian noted that over the past years, the two sides have sustained the development trend of their friendship and recorded a number of significant attainments in areas such as economy, trade, tourism, culture, and sports.

Huy expressed his hope that in the time ahead, the cities will continue fostering friendship exchanges and cooperation in multiple spheres to make new strides, promote common development, and generate practical benefits for residents in their border areas.

Cultural exchanges contribute to Vietnam - Germany mutual understanding: opinion

Nguyen Duc Thang, head of the Thang Muoi (October) arts club – a member of the Germany - Vietnam Association, has highlighted the role of cultural exchanges in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s state visit to Vietnam on January 23 - 24, Thang said that the coming visit will be the third to Vietnam by Steinmeier, who previously visited the Southeast Asian nation as Federal Foreign Minister of Germany in February 2008 and as Vice Chancellor in November 2016, showing his strong bonds with Vietnam.

Through this trip, the German President wants to emphasise his country’s wish to expand and diversify political and economic relations with Vietnam, and continue to make important steps to enhance the countries’ strategic relations and elevate their ties to a new height.

The delegation will include many leading enterprises of Germany, so the visit will be a chance for them and Vietnamese firms to discuss the reinforcement of partnerships in such fields as economy, investment, trade, vocational training, scientific research, and especially labour – an issue matching the German Government’s concern and Vietnam’s strength, Thang noted.

In addition, he wen on, bilateral connections in culture, education, and health care have also been growing strongly, which is partly attributed to the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese associations in Germany.

Aside from the State’s diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy and such activities of Vietnamese people as presenting 100,000 face masks to 16 states of Germany or making donations to residents in two flood-hit southwestern states have also helped strengthen ties between the Vietnamese community in Germany and local people, thus contributing to the two countries’ mutual understanding and Vietnamese people’s standing there.

Thanks to regular high-ranking mutual visits, cooperation in economy, trade, investment, culture, and education - training, along with contributions by Vietnamese people in Germany, relations between the two countries will continue developing vigorously and mutual trust be strengthened, thus optimising the strengths of each side, Thang said.

The head of the Thang Muoi arts club also considered cultural activities of his club as a contribution to bilateral cultural exchanges.

Founded in 2011, the club is among the few working in the field of culture for external affairs, he said, noting that together with helping maintain Vietnam’s traditional culture and arts, it has also worked to introduce the homeland’s culture to German and international friends, while frequently taking part in charitable activities in both countries.

With those activities, the club has helped promote cultural links between the two countries, enhance mutual understanding, and raise the standing of the Vietnamese community in Germany, Thang added.

President attends “Spring in border areas warms people’s hearts” programme in Kien Giang

President Vo Van Thuong on January 20 evening attended the “Spring in border areas warms people’s hearts” programme in Ha Tien city, the southern province of Kien Giang.

The event was held by the Border Guard High Command and the People’s Committee of Kien Giang province ahead of of the Lunar New Year (Tet).

Speaking at the event, President Vo Van Thuong said that the Party and the State have had many guidelines and policies and worked to mobilise resources of the entire political system and society to take care of policy beneficiaries, people with meritorious services, and the poor, especially those in remote areas, border areas, and islands. In the common effort, the army in general and the border guard force in particular play an important role.

He hailed efforts of border guard officers and soldiers in completing their tasks of border management and protection and coordinating closely with local Party committees, authorities and people in border areas and islands to build a grassroots political system, saying that they have taken part in poverty reduction, illiteracy eradication, people's health care, natural disaster and disease prevention and control, and socio-economic development in border areas and islands.

At the event, the President presented Tet gifts to ten social policy households in the border area of Ha Tien city and scholarships and gifts to four Cambodian students. Leaders of the Ministry of National Defence and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee handed over Tet gifts to 20 poor households. On this occasion, leaders of ministries and agencies also gave gifts and scholarships to many students.

Previously, President Thuong and leaders of the Ministry of Defence and the Border Guard High Command also presented 30 breeding cows to poor households living in Ha Tien city and Giang Thanh district.

Vietnam appeals for solidarity in a divided world at 19th NAM Summit

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan emphasised the importance of solidarity in a divided world while addressing a plenary session of the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala capital of Uganda on January 20.

In her speech, Xuan affirmed NAM’s leading role in upholding international law, consolidating multilateralism, promoting disarmament, reducing inequality at economic and financial institutions, considerably contributing to the settlement of global issues.

She expressed her belief that with 120 member states representing nearly 60% of the world’s population and about 20% of the global GDP, the movement will continue promoting solidarity in a divided world.

The Vice President of Vietnam suggested that to keep bringing into play the role of NAM, member countries should have a common voice to resolve global challenges and object to the actions running counter to the principles of peace and independence. They should show the solidarity with the Palestinian people and call for the removal of unilateral sanctions and embargoes against Cuba and other member states.

Besides, in the spirit of solidarity in diversity, Xuan asked NAM to respect the viewpoints and protect the interests of its members. She appealed to the movement to continue respecting and supporting efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the purposes of peace, security, and stability in the East Sea and Southeast Asia, and step up the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

To maximise the cooperation potential of NAM, members should make better use of connection channels to improve their economic independence and self-reliance and enhance cooperation for development, she remarked.

Vice President Xuan said that to help realise NAM’s common values and aspirations about integration, peace, and prosperity around the globe, Vietnam has joined other regional countries in building an increasingly strong ASEAN Community and strengthen ASEAN’s centrality in the Asia-Pacific and other regional mechanisms.

It has exerted efforts to work with other NAM members to respond to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian crises, and non-traditional security challenges like climate change and food insecurity, she went on, affirming Vietnam’s commitment to contributing more to the common cause of NAM and developing countries for the sake of humanity’s progress, peace, wealth, and happiness.

During the two-day 19th NAM Summit, participating leaders adopted three important documents, namely the final document reflecting the movement’s viewpoints on international and regional issues, the Kampala Declaration reaffirming NAM’s principles and values, and a statement about Palestine demonstrating the solidarity with the Palestinian people.

At the event, South Sudan was admitted to NAM, the first new member of the movement in 30 years.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes