Vietnam and Venezuela have agreed on a range of activities to celebrate the 25 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

Although the milestone falls in December, celebratory activities are already underway with a Vietnamese culture week taking place in the Venezuelan state of Merida from January 20-27.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Ngo Tien Dung has been undertaking a working visit to Merida to discuss the celebrations and hold workshops exploring the present and future cooperation between the two countries in a number of areas.

Meeting with local authorities and Governor of Merida State, Alexis Ramirez, Dung discussed in some depth the current state of economic and cultural collaboration between the two nations in farming, aquaculture, construction, tourism and education, among other areas.

As requested by Merida authorities, the Vietnamese delegation held a workshop themed “The Political and Revolutionary Thoughts of Ho Chi Minh”, with researchers, lecturers, students and locals taking part.

During the culture week, nearly 80 photos themed “Vietnam: A Country and its People” have been put on display at the state’s Bosset Culture House, alongside traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, costumes, publications and film screenings.

Meanwhile, working with management boards of the Los Andes University and Kleber Ramirez Polytechnic University, Vietnamese and Venezuelan sides discussed joint work in education, training and student exchange.

The embassy staff and the University of Los Andes’s Centre for Asian-African Studies suggested publishing a book on Vietnam next year to mark the 25th anniversary.

Dung, in an interview granted to the media, made it clear that Vietnam wishes to take two-way ties with Venezuela, and Merida state in particular, to a deeper level across the board, especially in economics.-VNA