The Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association held its third national congress in the 2013-2018 term on May 24 in Hanoi to boost the two countries’ cooperation in a wide range of fields.

The congress elected the Association’s 41-member executive committee and Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien as the association’s chairman.

In the next term, the association will pay more attention to the business sector, non-governmental organisations and academia, and the Vietnamese community in Canada, improving its foreign affair efficiency.

It will combine external affairs’ activities and information to strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries, and to enlist Canadian people’s understanding, sympathy and support for Vietnam’s construction and development.

To mark the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Canada this year, the association will host a contest on bilateral relations and Canada for Vietnamese students.

In addition, it will coordinate with the Canadian Embassy and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam to host the 2013 Run for Children in Hanoi to raise funds to treat poor children with cancer and heart problems.-VNA