At the reception for Doyle, who is completing his term in Vietnam, President Sang expressed his satisfaction with recent developments in the Vietnam-EU relationship, which are partly attributed to his contributions.

He appreciated the EU’s support for Vietnam in the fields of culture and education and said he hopes Doyle will continue to promote the traditional relationship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the EU.

Ambassador Doyle praised Vietnam’s high economic growth rate, as well as the country’s efforts to create a favourable mechanism for strengthening the ties in trade and education between both sides.

**On the same day, Mr Sang received outgoing Iranian ambassador Seyed Javad G.

The Iranian diplomat complimented Vietnam on its achievements and the relationship between the two countries and said Iran is willing to assist Vietnam, especially in nano-technology and aviation, and provide scholarships to Vietnamese postgraduate students to study in Iran.

He also conveyed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's invitation to President Sang for an official visit to Iran.

President Sang affirmed Vietnam’s policy to enhance its ties with Iran and said he hopes both countries will be able to fully tap their potential for economics, trade, and tourism.

He expressed his thanks for Iran and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)’s assistance, saying that Vietnam will attend the 2012 NAM conference in Iran.

President Sang thanked his Iranian counterpart for his invitation to visit the country and said he will arrange the journey in the future.