At the celebration in Hong Kong (Photo: VNA) Hong Kong (VNA) – Overseas Vietnamese in China’s Hong Kong SpecialAdministrative Region gathered to welcome Lunar New Year (Tet) at a celebrationheld by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau on January 20.
Vietnamese Consul General Tran Thanh Huan informed attendees of Vietnam’ssocio-economic development as well as diplomatic achievements in 2018, sayingthey were significantly contributed to by Vietnamese expatriates worldwide,including those in Hong Kong.
The Vietnamese Party and Government attach much importance to overseasVietnamese’s role in national construction and protection, he said.
He highlighted the Vietnam-Hong Kong ties, saying the two economies haveenjoyed thriving relations over the years, with two-way trade reaching 19.8billion USD in 2018, up 9.4 percent from the previous year. Hong Kong is the 6th largest investor in Vietnam, with 19.3 billion USD in 1,401 projects in theSoutheast Asian country.
The two sides joined hands to organise various economic-trade activities, andworked to handle immigration issues, he said, adding that Hong Kong hasexempted Vietnamese diplomatic and official passport holders from visarequirements, and will consider providing more favourable conditions to grantvisas to Vietnamese visitors.
Earlier, the Vietnamese Consulate General held a similar celebration in MacauSpecial Administrative Region on January 19, during which Huan highlighted theVietnamese expats’ contributions to building their homeland into a moreprosperous nation.
At the celebrations, Huan presented certificates of merit to individual, honouringtheir efforts to develop the Vietnamese communities in the Hong Kong and Macau.
Art performances to welcome Tet were delivered on the occasion. -VNA
VNA
