Some 1,300 overseas Vietnamese in Germany gathered at an event to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival held by the Vietnamese Embassy on January 28.
The event also saw the participation of representatives from other embassies in the host country such as Laos, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, the US, China and Japan as well as from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Parliamentary Group in the German Parliament, the Ministry of Economy, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the German-Vietnamese Association, the mayors of Lichtenberg and Marzahn – Hellersdorf, among others.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Vu Quang Minh affirmed that 2023 was a very special year, as the strategic partnership of the two countries has reaped fruits in all fields of economy, trade, politics, defence-security, education, labour and development cooperation.
The diplomat emphasised the relations between the two sides have been expanded and deepened continuously, particularly after the historic visit to Vietnam of German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz in November 2022 and another in early 2024 by German President Frank Walter-Steinmeier.
Germany is the second homeland of more than 200,000 Vietnamese people. The community is an important factor in fostering the traditional friendship between the people and governments of the two countries.
Mayors of Lichtenberg and Marzahn-Hellersdorf districts appreciated the role of the Vietnamese community in Germany in general and in the districts in particular, affirming that the community has significantly contributed to the districts' socio-economic development.
On the same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland held a pre-Tet programme in Bern, with the participation of hundreds of overseas Vietnamese and international friends in the country.
In his remarks, Ambassador Phung The Long stressed the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc, and is always of concern to the Vietnamese Party, State and people.
On January 27, the Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia also organised a “Homeland Spring” programme in Bratislava to bring the warm Tet atmosphere to the Vietnamese community in the European country.
On August 25, 2023, the Vietnamese community was recognised as the 14th ethnic minority group of the host country. The recognition is a testament to their active role in Slovakia's development, thus making more effective contributions to the Vietnam-Slovakia friendship.
