Nearly 60 representatives of Vietnamese people across Switzerland on August 21 gathered at a meeting convened by the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Switzerland (OVAS) in Belp town, 10km from the capital city of Berne.

The meeting was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador Hoang Van Nha, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, representatives of the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations.

At the gathering, Ambassador Nha informed the participants of socio-economic achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past time, new policies regarding overseas Vietnamese and the outcomes of bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland .

Nguyen Khanh Kinh, OVAS chairman, reported on the association’s activities since its founding in April this year.

He said the association has launched several humanitarian projects in Vietnam to help children with heart diseases have surgeries and poor kids get access to schools.

The association plans to organise a mid-autumn festival for children in September, attend the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi to be held in October and launch a campaign to raise fund for orphans and disabled children this December, he said.

OVAS will also set up new branches in German and French-speaking regions, he added./.