Founding anniversary of Vietnamese People’s Army marked in Ukraine
Kiev (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy and Defence
Attache Office in Ukraine, in collaboration with the Vietnamese war veterans’
association in Ukraine, on December 21 held a ceremony to mark the 77th
founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the 30th All People’s Defence Festival (December 22).
Guests at the event included President of the Association of Veterans of Ukraine, Major General Vladimir Popovich and Ukrainian war veterans who used to help Vietnam during the war.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Defence Attache in Ukraine
Colonel Nguyen Quang Chien reviewed the 77-year development of the Vietnam People’s
Army and its feats in two resistance wars against the French colonists and
American imperialists.
He highlighted results of Vietnam's defence diplomacy including the country's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operation
and the deployment of the No. 2 field hospital in South Sudan and the Central
African Republic, which were recognised and appreciated by the UN and the
international community.
He thanked Ukrainian veterans for their support to
Vietnam during the wartime, emphasising that Vietnamese people will never
forget those contributions.
Major General Vladimir
Popovich congratulated the VPA on the anniversary and wished the VPA to be more
elite and modern, successfully fulfilling its task of protecting the
Fatherland. He highlighted the long-standing friendship between the
people, army and veterans of the two countries, and the close relations between the
Veterans Association of Ukraine and the Embassy, the Defense Attache Office,
the Vietnamese Veterans Association in Ukraine, adding that he looked forward
to stronger relations between two sides in the future.
For his part, Nguyen Van Loan, chairman of the Vietnamese war veterans’
association in Ukraine, said Vietnamese veterans always maintain the virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers. They have actively participated in activities organised
by the embassy as well as people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to promoting
relations between two associations and building a stronger Vietnamese community in
Ukraine, he said.
After the ceremony, the participants watched a documentary
about the 77 years of development of the VPA and sang songs praising the heroic
traditions of the VPA./.