An "ao dai" show at the get-together for overseas Vientamese in Canada (Photo: VNA)

Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc highlighted Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements in 2019, and praised contribution by the Vietnamese community in the US for national development, sovereignty protection and bilateral comprehensive partnership.

“The Vietnamese community of more than 2.2 million people in the US have made practical contribution to bilateral ties. An increasing number of Vietnamese holding administrative positions in both federal and state levels is an important factor to promote mutual understanding and cooperation. Many successful Vietnamese American business people have returned home to invest and help boost cultural, tourism and educational exchanges,” said Mr. Ngoc.

The same day, the Vietnamese Consulate Generals in Canada’s Vancouver and Australia held a get-together for Vietnamese expatriates.

The Consul General in Canada, Trinh Tu Lan expressed her belief that the cooperative relations between Vietnam and Canada will continue to be reinforced, especially when both countries are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Vietnam is assuming the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2020 and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021.

The Consul General in Australia, Trinh Duc Hai said that the local Vietnamese have run charity programs to share the sufferings with local people as they were affected by wild fire.

Also on January 10, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand held a pre-Tet gathering for overseas Vietnamese. Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang praised the local Vietnamese’s contribution to the social economic development in Thailand. During the ceremony, guests were offered special Vietnamese dishes and enjoyed art performances to celebrate Tet.