At the function, ambassador Tho highlighted the Vietnamese people’s struggle for national liberation and unification in the past as well as the achievements the country has made during the Doi Moi (Renewal) process. He spoke of the Party and State’s external policy, with priority being given to developing a strategic and comprehensive partnership with China. He also congratulated China on its successful organisation of the recent Beijing Olympic Games.

Both the host and guests, including Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, raised toast for a stronger Vietnam-China relationship.

*** The same day, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Nguyen Huu Dung also gave a banquet with the participation of many diplomats and Vietnamese nationals.

Mr Dung recalled the August 1945 Revolution, saying that it had helped open up a new chapter in the country’s history of national development. He stressed that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, generations of Vietnamese people have upheld their predecessors’ national patriotic tradition and have made every effort to build a strong and prosperous nation.  

*** In Seoul, the Republic of Korea, representatives from the RoK Government, the diplomatic corps and ASEAN countries all sent greetings to the Vietnamese Embassy.

On this occasion, ambassador Pham Tien Van granted an interview to the Korea Post and Korea Economic Report, emphasising that the August 1945 Revolution marked a great victory for the national liberation movement in Vietnam led by the Communist Party of Vietnam. He said that with the Declaration of Independence read out by President Ho Chi Minh on September 2, 1945, the Vietnamese people really lived in an independent and free nation.

The ambassador also reviewed major developments in the Vietnam-RoK relationship since the two countries established their diplomatic ties 16 years ago. He stressed on the need to promote bilateral cooperation in various areas to realise a “comprehensive partnership in the 21^st century” between both countries.

*** Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Nguyen Van That on September 2 held a banquet to mark the National Day and the 35^th anniversary of the establishment of two countries’ diplomatic ties.

Reviewing major milestones in bilateral relations over the past 35 years, Mr That said that two-way trade has recorded an annual growth rate of 20 percent in recent years which hit US$100 million this year.

The Embassy in coordination with Bangladeshi travel agencies organised a display of embroidery paintings of Vietnam’s landscapes and people.

*** On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba in coordination with Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and the Cuban Arts and Literature Publishing House introduced to the public a Vietnamese literature collection in Spanish.

The 200-page collection, titled “The Watchmaker of Dien Bien Phu”, included 14 short stories of Vietnamese well-known writers.

An exhibition was also held to showcase Vietnam’s traditional fine arts and handicraft items such as embroidery and lacquer paintings, pottery and ceramic products, and Ao Dai (Vietnamese women’s traditional long dress).