Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai hands over the congratulatory letters from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affair to Chairwoman of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association Tran Thi Chang. Photo courtesy of the association

The executive board of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association (MVFA) made its debut during a ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 27, VNA reported.

Attending the ceremony were Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai; representatives of the representative offices of Vietnam in Malaysia; representatives of some associations in the Vietnamese community in Malaysia.

On the Malaysian side, there were Theng Bee Han, chairman of the Malaysian Business Association in Vietnam; Prof. Mohd Azhari Yakub, former director of the National Heart Institute Malaysia, advisor to the Friendship Association and representatives of agencies and organizations. In addition, the event also had the presence of sponsors from the two countries, members of the friendship association.

According to a decision signed by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs on March 8, 2022, the MVFA is an organisation representing the Vietnamese community in Malaysia, and acts as a bridge connecting Vietnamese expats in Malaysia and the Vietnamese Embassy in the country.

The formation of the friendship association aims to bolster the cooperation between the two countries across fields, including politics, culture and society, and people-to-people exchange.

After the flag-raising ceremony and singing of the national anthems of the two countries, Tran Thi Chang, chairwoman of the Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Association gave the opening speech.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai delivers a congratulatory speech. Photo courtesy of the association

Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government, sent the congratulatory letters from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia to the association.

Ambassador Thai highly appreciated Tran Thi Chang's role in charity activities for the Vietnamese community in Malaysia, especially the recent Covid-19 vaccination program, and expressed his hope that the association will help further strengthen and deepen the relationship between Vietnam and Malaysia.

Previously, the association received congratulatory letters from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry's State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOV) and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO).

Prof. Mohd Azhari Yakub, former director of the National Heart Institute Malaysia, advisor to the Friendship Association, also delivered a congratulatory speech, expressing interest and support for the Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Association's activities.

The executive board of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association. Photo courtesy of the association

On the afternoon of August 27, the 2022 Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Team Badminton Tournament, first of its kind, ended successfully beyond expectations with the participation of nearly 50 Malaysian and Vietnamese athletes. In which, the youngest athlete is 14 and the oldest athlete is 70.

This was the first sport tournament organized by MVFA to celebrate the announcement of the decision to establish and launch the executive committee of the friendship association.

The success of the tournament is expected to be a premise for the next sports events of the association to promote the training spirit of amateur athletes in the Vietnamese community in Malaysia as well as friends in the host country.

The 2022 Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Team Badminton Tournament. Photo courtesy of the association

The matches took place in the enthusiastic cheers of the audience and in competitive spirit. Photo courtesy of the association

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