The Vietnamese association in the Japanese city of Kitakyushu represents nearly 3,000 Vietnamese expats living here. (Photo: VNA) Its founding congress, which was attended by about 100delegates, elected a 13-member executive committee chaired by President Ta MinhThu, a Vietnamese woman living in Kitakyushu for more than 10 years.
Two Japanese people, Matsushita – a pharmacist and MasudaShin – a professor, who have made great contributions to enhancing thefriendship between the two countries, were voted as honourable members of theexecutive committee.
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Consul General in FukuokaVu Binh expected the association would have meaningful activities not only forthe local community but also the homeland and contribute to furtherstrengthening the bilateral ties between Kitakyushu and Hai Phong – itsVietnamese twin city, and Vietnam and Japan at large.
Head of Kitakyushu’s international affairs department ObaChie affirmed that the city’s authority is delight to see the Vietnamesecommunity here growing day by day. She also hoped that the association wouldhelp tighten the relationship between Kitakyushu and Hai Phong.
In her remark delivered virtually from Vietnam, Nguyen ThiThanh Huong, Deputy Director of Hai Phong’s Department of External Affairs,highly spoke of the twin-city relations and described the establishment of theassociation as an important event that not only benefits the bilateral tiesbetween the two cities but also facilitates the promotion of Vietnamese culturein Japan.
The Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka later took theoccasion to present the Vietnamese Association in Kitakyushu a set ofVietnamese language teaching books in support of the opening of classesproviding Vietnamese language lessons for Vietnamese children and Japanesepeople in the coming time./.
VNA
