Rabat (VNA) – National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s spouse, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, visited Douar Sfari - the Vietnam Village in the outskirts of Kénitra city on July 26 (local time) on the occasion of the top legislator’s official visit to Morocco.
As a vivid symbol of Vietnam–Morocco friendship, the village is home to a small yet deeply rooted Vietnamese-Moroccan community whose presence in the country dates back more than half a century. During her visit, Nga presented gifts to and engaged in a warm exchange with members of the Vietnamese community here.
Among residents in the village are seven of the nearly 80 families with Moroccan husbands who once followed the Viet Minh during the resistance war against French colonial rule. These veterans married Vietnamese women and returned to Morocco in 1972 under a bilateral agreement. Morocco's King Hassan II allocated land for them to settle and build a new life.
During the visit, Nga and accompanying delegates toured the homes of several families and visited the Vietnam Gate - an architectural feature that, along with the Morocco Gate built in Ba Vi, Hanoi in 1963, stands as a lasting emblem of the enduring friendship between the two peoples.
The community members shared touching stories of their lives in Morocco, their longing for their ancestral homeland, and their continued efforts to preserve Vietnamese language and traditions. These include celebrating Lunar New Year, making chung cakes, honouring ancestors, and teaching younger generations about Vietnamese culture.
Praising the Vietnamese community for the ways they have upheld Vietnamese cultural identity across generations, Nga noted that the Vietnam Gate is more than a tribute to friendship, it is a living legacy that helps future generations remember their roots, esteem shared heritage between the two nations, and contribute to bilateral ties.
The Vietnamese Party and State always regard overseas Vietnamese as an inseparable part of the nation and a valuable resource for national development, she said, encouraging the community to remain united, support one another, and continue contributing to the homeland.
On this occasion, she presented souvenirs from Vietnam to the village residents./.
