An event titled “Meet Vietnam in Newhaven” is co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK and the government of Newhaven, a small port town about 100km south of London, on September 28 (local time). The event provided local residents a chance to learnabout Vietnam’s history, culture and people through an exhibition of photos onthe country’s UNESCO-recognised tangible and intangible cultural heritages and itstraditional food.
In her remarks, Newhaven Mayor Lesly Boniface expressedher pride in the historic link between her town and late President Ho Chi Minh,who worked as a chef on a ferry connecting Newhaven and the French town ofDieppe after World War I.
The British mayor highly spoke of Ho Chi Minh’s patriotism,courage and wisdom that helped him find the way to liberate his people andcountry. The historic link will lay a strong basis for the relations betweenNewhaven and Vietnam to grow further in the future, she said.
She also took the occasion to thank Vietnam for donatingface masks to Newhaven when the COVID-19 broke out in the UK last year.
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long, for his part,thanked the local government for supporting and coordinating with theVietnamese Embassy in organizing the event, saying the Vietnam-UK StrategicPartnership is flourishing thanks to relentless efforts of both sides over thepast five decades with the government and people of Newhaven playing asignificant part in these drives.
He recalled the time President Ho Chi Minh lived andworked in London from 1913 – 1917 and on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, which becamea foundation for the relations between Vietnam and Newhaven, and the UK atlarge. It was in the UK that the Vietnamese leader first read the works of Karl Marx andFriedrich Engels which became a source of inspiration for his revolutionarypath.
In 2013, a stele was erected at the mouth of River Ouse tomark the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s arrival in the UK andthe 40th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties(1973-2013)./.
VNA
