The flag raising ceremony in Hanoi
(VOVworld) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a ceremony at its headquarters in Hanoi on Friday to fly the ASEAN flag and the national flag of Vietnam to mark ASEAN’s 47th anniversary (8/8/1967 – 8/8/2014) and the 19th anniversary of Vietnam’s ASEAN membership (July 28). The ASEAN flag will be raised by all ASEAN members to express their solidarity and determination to build an ASEAN community by 2015. The ASEAN flag symbolizes the members' unity and support for their shared principles and endeavors. It represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN.

Also on Friday, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia held a ceremony to hoist ASEAN flag and the national flag. Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Nguyen Hong Thao reviewed ASEAN development since its foundation in 1967. He expressed his pride to work in Malaysia, one of ASEAN’s founding members that will chair the bloc next year. He emphasized Vietnam’s significant contributions to the bloc over the past 19 years as well as Vietnam’s determination to join other ASEAN members to build the ASEAN community by 2015.