(Photo: Embassy of Spain in Vietnam)Hanoi(VNA) – A gathering was held by the Embassy of Vietnam in Madrid, Spain to markthe 72th anniversary of the Vietnamese National Day (September 2, 1945) and the40th year of diplomatic ties with Spain (May 23, 1977).
The event, chairedby Ambassador Ngo Tien Dung, was attended by officials from the Spanishgovernment and the High Commissioner for Marca Espana, a long-term projectaimed at strengthening Spain’s image among Spanish citizens and abroad,diplomats in Madrid and Vietnamese students and expats living in Spain.
Guests to thegathering were served with Vietnam’s traditional dishes and enjoyed anexhibition on photos and documentaries about the country’s beautiful landscapesand people.
In his openingremarks, Dung looked back at milestones in Vietnam’s history since latePresident Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic ofVietnam and the country’s independence from France on September 2, 1945.
The country has seena robust economic growth since the launch of the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) process in1968. Its Gross Domestic Products (GDP) expanded at an average rate of 7.5 percentannually from 1986 to 2006 and grew at around 6 percent in the last decade, hesaid.
Vietnam has firmlypursued a foreign policy of peace and multifaceted international relations overthe past 72 years and the country’s achievements during the national buildinghave been enormously supported by international communities, including Spain,he added.
The ambassador alsogave his guests an overview of the Vietnam-Spain relations with their bilateralcooperation developing in all fields. The two-way trade reached about 3 billionUSD in 2016 after growing at an annual rate of 15 percent in 16 years, henoted.
The two nationsagreed to establish an inter-governmental committee on economic, trade andinvestment cooperation and signed the fifth financial programme during thevisit of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minhto Spain from May 23-25.-VNA
VNA
