Vietnamese expatriates worldwide celebrate Lunar New Year hinh anh 1Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Vu Van Dung speaks at the get-together celebrating New Year  (Source: VNA)
Washington (VNA) - Vietnam’s diplomatic agencies around the world have held get-togethers for overseas Vietnamese (OVs) on the threshold of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

On January 21, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US held a New Year celebration for OVs in Washington DC and adjacent areas, attracting nearly 300 Vietnamese expatriates in the country.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh briefed participants on the country’s development, affirming that the Vietnamese community abroad is an indispensable part of the nation.

While speaking highly of great contributions by OVs in the US to the homeland’s development, he stressed the embassy will work harder to facilitate activities of the community at home, contributing to the national development.

The ambassador said the affiliation between Vietnam and the US has strongly developed across fields after the visit to the US by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July 2015 and US President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam in May last year.

He said he believes that the bilateral ties will be further fostered in a practical, effective, stable and long-term manner in the coming time.

The same day, overseas Vietnamese in South Africa also celebrated Vietnam’s biggest traditional event.

Addressing the function, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Vu Van Dung praised the Vietnamese community in the country for organising activities to promote unity.

He also called for more contributions from OVs to enhancing the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

At the event, expatiates had a chance to enjoy traditional foods of Vietnam.

Earlier, on January 20, a similar event hosted the Vietnamese Consulate General in Vancouver, the province of British Columbia of Canada brought together representatives from diplomatic agencies of ASEAN member countries, overseas Vietnamese people in the country.

In his speech, Consul General Pham Manh Hai briefed participants on the success of the 12th National Party Congress and Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development, and the fruitful development of the Vietnam-Canada relations.

The Consulate General appreciates the Canadian Government’s continued provision of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam’s socio-economic development and climate change adaptation projects, he said. 

He affirmed Vietnamese expatriates abroad, including those in Canada, are always welcomed and encouraged to invest in the homeland, thus contributing to building the country.

The diplomat called on OVs to make more practical contributions to the nation’s development and to promoting the Vietnam-Canada friendship and cooperation.

A representative from the province of British Columbia reviewed the fruitful ties between the two countries, as well as links between the province and Vancouver city with Vietnam.

He highly valued the role played by the Consulate General in promoting the bilateral relations and supporting Vietnamese in western provinces of Canada.-VNA 

VNA