Together with people in the country, the Vietnamese community around the world are welcoming the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Dragon, with hope of a new year of development, prosperity and happiness.

In France , a special programme, "A moment of the homeland," imbued with traditional cultural identity, has been held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris with the participation of domestic artists from the Bac Ninh duet singing troupe and the Mat Troi Moi group.

The event was organised by the Vietnamese Association in France (UGVF) in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy, the Vietnamese Students’ Association (UEVF), the Vietnamese Youth Association (UJVF) and the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France .

Addressing the opening ceremony, UGVF Vice-President Nguyen Thanh Tong highlighted effective contributions to the homeland by the Overseas Vietnamese community.

The UGVF has raised 67,000 euro in donations to carry out humanitarian, social and health care activities in needy areas in Vietnam .

Apart from continuing these activities, the association will participate in the preparation of the "Year of Vietnam" in France to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, an important event for the Vietnamese community in France .

On this occasion, a photo and object exhibition and an art programme took place at the Vietnam Cultural Centre of Vietnam in France , aiming at presenting the history and preservation of Vietnamese duet singing.

While in Rome , Italy , the Vietnamese Embassy of Vietnam held a ceremony to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Khanh Thoai thanked the Vietnamese community in Italy for their contributions and help to Vietnam in recent years, particularly in the development of friendship between the two countries.

The Vietnamese community in Japan welcomed the Year of the Dragon at the “Garden Centre”, house of Ngo Hung Lam, an Overseas Vietnamese who has succeeded in business in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo .

The Deputy Mayor of Kisarazu city, Chiba prefecture, spoke highly of the contributions by Ngo Hung Lam, who is vice president of the Association of Vietnamese in Japan, to socio-economic development of this city and to friendly relations between Japan and Vietnam./.