National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the event. Photo: VNA

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy staff and Vietnamese community in Buenos Aires on April 25 (local time), VNA reported Wednesday.

Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh briefed the NA leader on the operations of the embassy, and activities held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Argentina and 30 years of diplomatic relations with Uruguay.

The ambassador said he believes that NA Chairman Hue's visit will create new momentum for the ties between Vietnam and the two Latin American countries.

The embassy will coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities at home to realise the outcomes of the visit, he pledged.

Head of the liaison board of the Vietnamese community in Misiones province Gip Ayock thanked the Party and State for paying great attention to the Vietnamese community abroad and in Argentina in particular.

He said that the community has kept themselves updated on the situation in the home country and always looks to the homeland.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the Vietnamese Embassy staff. Photo: VNA

NA Chairman Hue informed participants of the major outcomes of his first visit to Argentina, saying that Argentinian leaders highly valued the visit and gave the Vietnamese delegation's warm welcome.

He said he and Argentinian leaders discussed measures to promote the comprehensive partnership between the two countries in all fields, through all channels and from central to local levels.

Argentina's top leaders showed hope to promote bilateral relations and set up strategic partnerships in particular areas, especially agriculture.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is keen on speeding up negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), he said.

He noted that Argentina is one of the four comprehensive partners of Vietnam in the Latin American region. Two-way trade has grown fast to USD 4.8 billion last year and recorded a rise of 40% in the first two months of 2023. The two sides are striving to raise the figure to USD 10 billion in 2025. However, investment cooperation still remains modest, he said.

The top legislator expressed hope that the Vietnamese community will integrate well into the host society while preserving the language and culture of Vietnam.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and representatives of the Vietnamese community. Photo: VNA

Although the number is very small, the community is always united, and obeys the local laws and even though they are far away from the country, they always look to their homeland. The NA Chairman was touched when the Head of the liaison board of the Vietnamese community in Misiones province Gip Ayock, although very old, had traveled more than 1,000 km to Buenos Aires to attend the meeting, or Ms. Lien, even though she moved to Argentina at the age of 2, but now still able to speak Vietnamese fluently.

"Whatever you do, you must think about your homeland and make practical contributions to the relationship between the two countries." Emphasizing this, the NA Chairman believes that, with the current development momentum, the Vietnamese community in Argentina will surely increase rapidly in the coming time.

He asked the Vietnamese Embassy to focus on promoting economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries, paving the way for the opening of a direct air route between the two sides.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and representatives of the Vietnamese community. Photo: VNA

The NA leader also affirmed the Party and State's constant policy of considering the Vietnamese community abroad as an inseparable part of the nation.

He said Politburo's conclusion 12-KL/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs has laid emphasis on promoting the teaching of Vietnamese and the building of Vietnamese cultural establishments overseas and an innovation network for the community to make contributions to the homeland.

He said that the NA is working to review, adjust and supplement the legal system to create optimal conditions for the community to return to the homeland, with favorable policies in entry, exit and residency.

Sharing the difficulties of the overseas Vietnamese community after the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the NA Chairman asked them to make efforts to overcome difficulties, comply with the laws of the host country, and absorb their cultural quintessence to enrich the culture of the community.

NA Chairman Hue presents the Friendship Order of Vietnam to the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute (ICAV) and its President Poldi María Sosa. Source: Pham Thuy

On the occasion, NA Chairman Hue presented the Friendship Order of Vietnam to the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute (ICAV) and its President Poldi María Sosa.

The ICAV leader said that she has worked at the institute for 26 years, and has a great love for Vietnam, considering the country as her second homeland. ICAV members all love Vietnam. Every year ICAV organizes a delegation to visit Vietnam with many activities.

"We always feel that coming to Vietnam is like coming home. Although Vietnam is on the other side of the world, there we have a second family," said ICAV President Poldi María Sosa, and expressed belief that the relationship between the two countries will grow stronger and stronger.

The same day, a ceremony was held in Buenos Aires to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the Vietnam-Argentina diplomatic relations with the theme "Present and Future".

Also on April 25, Chairman Hue and other members of the Vietnamese delegation cut the ribbon to open a photo exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh.

The exhibition reflects the late President as a simple man but also a great and beloved leader of Vietnam, a great man of culture, and a symbol of the struggle for independence and freedom. Many photos on display spotlight his journey to seek ways for national salvation in the early 20th century, including his arrivals in Argentina and Uruguay in 1912.

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