National Assembly Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien and the Vietnamese delegation take a picture with Vietnamese-Malagasy people at the President Ho Chi Minh statue in Antananarivo, Madagascar. (Photo: VNA) Pretoria (VNA) – Vietnam National Assembly Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien and the high-ranking NA delegation paid a floral tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his statue in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar and met with the Vietnamese community in the country on March 24.
Hien learnt about the difficulties facing the community in the host country, while briefing them on Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements in recent years, especially the country’s rising position in the world arena.
According to the Vietnamese Embassy in Madagascar, about 400 people of the Vietnamese origin are living in the African country. A group of Vietnamese people’s offspring in Madagascar has also been formed in Antananarivo.
The NA Vice Chairman stressed that Vietnam always considers the Vietnamese community abroad as an inseparable part of the nation. He also highly valued the community’s spirit of turning their interest to the homeland, expressing his hope that they will continue fostering solidarity and abiding by the law of the host country.
According to the Vietnamese Honorary Consul in Madagascar Eric Andry Ramiandrasoa, the 3.4m statue of President Ho Chi Minh was built from 2001 and inaugurated in 2003 at the Ho Chi Minh square in Antananarivo. In the foot of the statue is a stone caved with the late leader’s famous words in French: “Nothing is more previous than independence and freedom”.
Later the same day, Hien and the Vietnamese delegation visited the office of the Vietnamese Honorary Consul in Madagascar, during which he praised the office’s contributions in maintaining and fostering ties between Vietnam and Madagascar. He asked the office to continue improving connections between businesses of both sides.
Earlier on March 23, Hien and the delegation started their visit to the country by meeting President of the Madagascar’s National Assembly Jean Max Rakotomamojy.
This is the first time the Vietnamese NA has sent a high-ranking delegation to the South African country.-VNA
VNA
