HCM City (VNA) – The people of Vietnam, including the student community in the former Czechoslovakia, have long valued the genuine support and assistance provided by the people of Czechoslovakia in the past and Slovakia today.
Speaking at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on August 29 to mark the 33rd National Day of Slovakia (September 1, 1992–2025), Bui Quang Hai, Chairman of the Vietnam–Slovakia Friendship Association's chapter in HCM City (VSFA HCM City), highlighted that over the past 75 years, the former Czechoslovakia and present-day Slovakia have offered professional training and skill development to tens of thousands of Vietnamese citizens, many of whom now hold key positions in Vietnam.
This year also marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the former Czechoslovakia, the predecessor of current Slovakia.
The friendship and cooperation have been consistently maintained, with bilateral trade rising from 1 billion EUR in 2020 to around 4.7 billion EUR in 2024. While this growth is notable, it still falls short of the full potential for economic cooperation. Positive outcomes from high-level bilateral meetings in early May are expected to further strengthen trade relations.
Hai added that over the past decade, VSFA HCM City has actively promoted people-to-people diplomacy, significantly contributing to the development of traditional friendship between the people of Vietnam and Slovakia, particularly linking HCM City with Slovakia's Bratislava capital and Kosice region.
Marian Veres, Chargé d’Affaires of Slovakia in Vietnam, expressed satisfaction with the increasingly robust cooperation between the two countries and affirmed that the longstanding friendship and partnership are expected to boost collaboration across trade, investment, and other sectors./.
