The Vietnam-Chile Friendship and Cooperation Association (VCFCA) under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held its third national congress for the 2019-2024 tenure in Hanoi on March 27.

The VCFCA’s 25-member executive committee for 2019-2024 term.

The congress elected a new executive board with 25 members and former Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile, Nguyen Van Tich re-elected as President of the association.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the VCFCA highlighted the active development of the bilateral relations in the 2013-2018, and reviewed activities of the association in the period, especially its efforts to enhance people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and Chile.

Participants agreed that the association should focus on reinforcing its organizational structure towards making its activities more effective, while developing its membership, especially young members and entrepreneurs that have business relations with Chilean partners.

Attention should be paid to activities that can promote economic-trade, culture-art, education-training, and tourism cooperation, and people-to-people exchange with Chilean embassy and the Chile-Vietnam Culture Institute in organising people-to-people diplomacy activities.

The VCFCA will actively coordinate with Chilean embassies to host discussion sessions, talks and screening of Chilean films, as well as cultural exchanges, economic and education programmes as well as celebrations of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Chile.

towards fostering mutual understanding between the two sides’ people.

In her speech, VUFO Chairwoman Nguyen Phuong Nga praised the association for its achievements in the 2013-2018 tenure and its contributions to promoting people diplomacy and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Chile, expressing her hope that the VCFCA will make more activities to contribute to strengthening the Vietnam-Chile friendship and cooperation.

For his part, Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaime Chomali thanked efforts by the VCFCA’s executive board and members in bolstering solidarity and cooperation between Vietnamese and Chilean peoples.

He also voiced his delight at the growing Vietnam-Chile partnership in all fields. Two-way trade in 2018 exceeded 1 billion USD, double that of 2014 when the Vietnam-Chile free trade agreement took effect.

He pledged to do his best to promote the traditional friendship between the two nations, and expressed his desire to maintain coordination with the VCFCA.

The diplomat annouced that Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Ngoc Son and head of Cerro Navia district Mauro Tamayo Rozas recently signed an agreement in Santiago to repair a park named after late President Ho Chi Minh in the district.

He hailed the significance of the event to mark 50 years since the historic meeting between Chilean President Salvador Allende and Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi in May 1969.

The project can be completed on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum meeting in Chile this year./.

M.Phuong