Hanoi (VNA) – A Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Night was co-held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and theEmbassy of Indonesia in Vietnam on November 16 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (1955 – 2020).
The event featured traditional music performancesfrom both countries and honoured winners of the video competition “Aku &Indonesia”.
In his opening remarks, Indonesian Ambassador to VietnamIbnu Hadi said Indonesia is the first country in ASEAN to establish diplomaticrelations with Vietnam and the 11th in the world to recognise it asan independent country.
He recalled the historic visits of President Ho Chi Minh toIndonesia and Indonesian President Seokarno to Vietnam in 1959, saying they laid solid foundation for the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship. The spirit of friendship between the two leaders is a historictreasure that must be promoted and passed to the future generations, he said.
Hadi, who is about to finish his four-year mission inVietnam, said he is honoured to witness Vietnam’s robust growth and the positivedevelopment of the bilateral ties.
Also present at the event, Deputy Minister of Culture,Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong highlighted Indonesia’s important role in theregion, saying the multi-faceted cooperation between the two nations isdeveloping comprehensively and extensively at both bilateral and multilaterallevels.
Vietnam and Indonesia have seen progress in politics,economy, investment, culture and more, particularly since 2013 when the twocountries upgraded ties to a strategic partnership, he said.
As Vietnam and Indonesia have a lot in common in culture andhistory, the two countries enjoy shared benefits in fostering regionalconnection and international integration, the deputy minister continued. Thetwo nations have together achieved numerous positive results in the ASEANSocio-Cultural Community, contributing to the building of an ASEAN Community ofsolidarity and development.
He expected that the event will promote ASEAN’s culturaldiversity, enhance mutual understanding and solidarity between the two nationsand their people, and further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership./.