They included the General Secretary of Mexico’s Labour Party (PT), Senator Alberto Anaya, the President of the Mexican Institute for Friendship and Cooperation with Vietnam, Virgilio Caballero, Mexico’s parliamentarian members, and representatives of the Mexican Foreign Ministry and Mexico City.

Addressing the function, Ambassador Pham Van Que affirmed that the Vietnamese economy remained stable in 2008 with a growth rate of 6.25 percent despite the global financial crunch. The diplomat added that Vietnam proactively stepped up its involvement in the international arena, including better ties with Mexico, marked by a 20 percent rise in two-way trade.

Mr Que stressed that the erection of a bronze statue of President Ho Chi Minh in Mexico City and the upcoming placement of another statue of him in the coastal city of Acapulco vividly represent the fine and cooperative ties between the two countries.

Meanwhile, PT General Secretary Alberto Anaya praised the achievements of the Doi Moi (renovation) process in Vietnam, which he attributed to the sound leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party.

Also on January 23, the Vietnamese embassy in South Africa held a get-together for Vietnamese expatriates and students in Mexico to mark the Lunar Year of the Buffalo.

At the meeting, Vietnamese Charge D’Affairs Pham Cong Dung briefed guests on Vietnam’s major achievements in 2008 and called on staff at Vietnamese missions in South Africa and the overseas Vietnamese community to unite and assist each other as well as further contributing to national construction.