Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on August 27 to mark the 73rd National Day of Vietnam (September 2, 1945).

The even was attended by many Malaysian officials, including Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo, Deputy President of the Malaysian Senate Haji Abdul Halim Bin Abd. Samad and Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong, along with Vietnamese expatriates and foreign diplomats.

In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Quy Quynh highlighted major achievements the country has obtained recently, elaborating that Vietnam is an open and dynamic economy as well as a trustworthy friend and partner of other countries.

It has maintained a fast and stable growth rate over the past 15 years, averaging 6.4 percent annually. The World Bank predicted this figure to hit 6.8 percent this year. Meanwhile, Vietnam has friendly relations with more than 180 countries and territories and is a responsible member of more than 70 regional and international organisations, he noted.

Regarding Vietnam-Malaysia ties, Quynh said bilateral relations have recorded extensive developments, particularly since they were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2015.

Cooperation expansion has been seen in various spheres like politics – diplomacy, security – defence, economy, culture and education. Bilateral trade surpassed 10 billion USD in 2017 and reached 5.8 billion USD in the first half of 2018, up 21 percent year on year. The two sides are striving to raise the trade revenue to 15 billion USD by 2020.

In politics, many high-ranking mutual visits have been made. Notably, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will visit Vietnam on the occasion of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi this September.

Ambassador Quynh voiced his belief that under the leadership of Malaysia’s new government, the friendship and cooperation between the two countries will keep thriving so as to benefit both countries and their people.

Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo offered congratulations on Vietnam’s National Day, expressing his belief that bilateral relations will continue to develop.

As part of the ceremony, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Embassy of Vietnam organised a Vietnamese Culture Day with a variety of activities, including a photo exhibition on the country and performances by Vietnamese artists.-VNA
VNA