Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Cao Tran Quoc Hai (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – TheVietnamese Embassy in Israel on February 11 held a get-together in Tel Aviv foroverseas Vietnamese in the country to celebratethe Lunar New Year (Tet) festival 2018.
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Cao Tran Quoc Hai updatedparticipants on Vietnam’s achievements in 2017, noting that the country hascontinued to develop, ensured national security-defence and social order andpromoted international integration.
He also highlighted the development of the Vietnam-Israel relationship, whichhas been deepened in a practical manner.
Israel is one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners in the Middle East,with two-way trade exceeding 1 billion USD, he said, adding that the twocountries have been conducting negotiations for a free trade deal which ishoped to help lift their trade to 3 billion USD.
During his speech, Ambassador Hai also praised the unity among the Vietnamese communityin Israel, and their contributions to the homeland’s development.
The same day, a similar event was held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK),offering a chance for Vietnamese expats to gather and welcome Tet.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Nguyen Vu Tu wished overseas Vietnamese andinternational friends a successful and happy New Year, hoping that they willmake more contributions to Vietnam-RoK relations.
He also lauded efforts made by the Vietnamese community in the RoK in promotingand preserving national cultural identities, as well as in raising funds tosupport disaster victims in the homeland.
Honourary Mayorof Seoul and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Association in the RoK Nguyen ThiNgoc Cam applauded the active involvement of the expats in the organisation’sactivities, and thanked the local authorities for their support.
She called on Vietnameseexpats to make more efforts to preserve national identity and join in charitablemovements to support others in difficult circumstances.-VNA
VNA
