(VOVworld)- The Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka held its first congress recently and elected a liaison committee to enhance connection and mutual help within the community. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh spoke highly of the activities of the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka, especially since Vietnam re-opened its embassy in Colombo in April 2011. Vietnam - Sri Lanka relations have seen improvements this year, especially in economics with two-way trade reaching nearly 150 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 40 percent. The ambassador said the congress is an important landmark of the community’s growth and will help promote activities for the homeland and strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries.