45th anniversary of Vietnam-UK ties celebrated in HCM City hinh anh 1At the celebration (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – A ceremony to mark the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-UK diplomatic relations and the 92nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II was held on June 4 by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) in collaboration with the Vietnam-UK Friendship Association (VUFA)’s chapter in Ho Chi Minh City.

Chairman of the VUFA-HCM City Tran Hung Viet expressed his respect for the Queen and delivered the best wishes to her on the 92nd birthday.

Vietnam and the UK have enjoyed a fruitful relationship which has been reflected through regular exchange of high-ranking delegations, sound bilateral trade, and robust cooperation between enterprises from both sides.

On the occasion, Viet thanked the UK General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and the UK Business Association in Vietnam for their close cooperation and support for the VUFA-HCM City so that it can well perform the role of connecting people from both sides in the fields of culture and education.

The association committed further contributions to bolstering people-to-people exchanges between Ho Chi Minh City and the UK, helping enhance the traditional relationship between the two countries, he noticed.

UK Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Ian Gibbons, for his part, thanked the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the VUFO for organising the event, highlighting that 2017 was a successful year for Vietnam-UK bilateral ties when Vietnam welcomed many delegations from the UK.

More UK high-ranking officials will pay visit to Vietnam in the coming time to tighten the cooperative relations between the two countries, he said.

People-to-people exchange through education is one of the most significant aspects in the bilateral ties, he underscored, lauding the VUFA-HCM City’s efforts in promoting the good friendship between the two sides.

As of April 2018, Vietnam and the UK enjoyed over 2 billion USD in two-way trade, with 1.75 billion USD of which coming from Vietnamese exports.

Last year, 285,000 British people visited Vietnam, including 116,000 arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, there are more than 10,000 Vietnamese students pursuing study in the UK.-VNA
VNA