(VNF) - Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will pay an official visit to Vietnam from July 20^th-24^th.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, announced the NA’s Committee for External Relations on July 17^th.

Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. (Photo: beta.ipu.org)

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury became Bangladesh’s first woman Speaker of Parliament on April 30^th, 2013. At 46, she was also the youngest person to hold the position.

Before taking up the post of Speaker, she served as Minister for Women and Children Affairs, which saw her involved in efforts to tackle violence against women, including the finalization of a law on domestic violence.

Prior to entering politics, Dr. Chaudhury had a distinguished legal career, serving for 15 years at the Supreme Court, where she worked on many human rights cases involving constitutional issues.

She was awarded the Asia Society’s humanitarian service award in 2010 in recognition of her leadership in advocating the elimination of violence against women and supporting women’s empowerment and employment in Bangladesh.

Vietnam and Bangladesh officially established their diplomatic ties on February 17^th, 1973. Since then, they have remained the traditional friendship and fine co-operation; facilitated visits at all levels; signed a number of agreements on economics, trade, investment, culture, information, agriculture, science-technology, and aviation. The two sides have facilitated visits by delegations from national defence, culture-sports-tourism, and labour and social affairs sectors to learn experience from each other.

Vietnam and Bangladesh will celebrate 45 years of diplomatic ties in 2018./.