Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, delivers an opening remark at a ceremony to mark the 74th National Day in the Swiss city on September 24. (Photo: VNA) Geneva (VNA) – Vietnam prioritises preserving and promoting national identity and cultural traditions, said Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head ofVietnam’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, at a ceremony to mark the country’s 74th National Day (September 2).
The ceremonywas held at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)’s headquartersin the Swiss city on September 24 in the presence of heads of international organisations and permanent missions,foreign diplomats and local officials.
In his openingspeech, Dung recalled Vietnam’s achievements after three decades of the renewal period.Vietnam has transformed from a war-torn country to one of the most dynamiceconomies in Asia-Pacific, he said, adding that the country has become a memberof various international organisations, such as Inter-Parliamentary Union(IPU), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In Geneva,Vietnam was an active member of the UN Human Rights Council from 2014 – 2016and the core group of sponsors of the council’s resolutionon human rights and climate change since 2015. It has also contributed to other UN agencies, including the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO), UN International Law Commission (ILC) and WIPO, theVietnamese diplomat said.
2020 will besignificant for Vietnam, hecontinued. The year will mark the end of the country’s socio-economicdevelopment plan for 2016 – 2020 and more importantly, it will assume the ASEANChair and become anon-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, he noted.
Vietnamesedesigner Minh Hanh wowed the guests with her latest collection of Vietnamesetraditional clothing made from silk and brocade in a fashion show named“Vietmode” that reflected the country’s ethnic diversity and cultural richness.
On September17, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Swiss capital Bern hosted a banquet tocelebrate the 74th National Day at Bellevue Hotel. The event featured excitingperformances with Vietnamese traditional musical instruments – “dan tranh”(16-string zither) and “dan t’rung” (bamboo xylophone) – alongside “Son LongQuyen Thuat” traditional martial arts show./.
VNA
