TET WITH VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Jan 26th 2008 (Dec 19th 2007 – Lunar Year), Vietnam Embassy in the Philippines together with Association of Vietnamese  in Manila organized a Friendly Get-Together to celebrate Lunar New Year( Tet). The participants were composed of overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese working for various international organizations, corporations and Vietnamese students in Manila and provinces near-by.
Ambassador Vu Xuan Truong, in his opening remarks, sent the message of congratulations, hopes and best wishes by Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet and other Leaders to Vietnamese community and their families in the Philippines. The Ambassador also updated overseas Vietnamese people with socio-economic achievements in the previous year (the Year of the Pig-2007) such as high economic growth rate, rapid expansion in both foreign and domestic investments, and strong  poverty reduction. In the regional and international relationships, the role of Vietnam is increasingly important. The Ambassador also mentioned various important events taking place in the last year, including the Non-Permanent member of Vietnam at the United Nations Security Council.
Ambassador Truong emphasized the constant policies of the country  relating to Overseas Vietnamese, hoping to see their greater contributions in the process of building up of a prosperous Vietnam. The Ambassador also emphasized the important role of Vietnamese students in the Philippines in the  future development of the country.
In the past year, the relationship between Vietnam and Philippines is increasingly strengthened, especially after the Official Visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung to the Philippines in August 2007. In this regard, the Ambassador would like to see greater contributions by Vietnamese community in the Philippines to the cooperation expansion of the two countries. He also urged the Vietnamese community in the Philippines to make more efforts to help each other in their daily life, and in the building up of an beautiful Homeland of Vietnam.
Representatives of the Vietnamese community in the Philippines thanked Government of Vietnam, the Embassy in the Philippines and the Ambassador for the support and assistance to overseas Vietnamese here in the Philippines. The Vietnamese community rejoice at Vietnam’s wonderful achievements in the renovation and integration process. The Vietnamese community in the Philippines will be always helpful to each other and will do whatever they can to strengthen the ties between the two countries and will make more efforts to contribute to the development of the Motherland.
The Get-Together was in the atmosphere of friendly, brotherhood with special Vietnamese dishes as well as traditional music. All these make the Vietnamese community in the Philippines feel as they were in Vietnam, enjoying Tet.
On this occasion, foreign  friends  also come to the Embassy, wishing the best to the people of Vietnam in general and to the Ambassador and the Embassy’ staff in particular.