National Day celebration held in London

Speaker of the House of Commons of the UK Lindsay Hoyle; Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Amanda Milling, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace; and Communist Party of Britain (CPB) General Secretary Robert Griffiths were among guests.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long underlined that the event also aims to celebrate the friendship between Vietnam and partners and all countries in the world.

Highlighting the achievements that Vietnam has made after 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Renewal), the diplomat noted that from a war-torn country, Vietnam has become the fourth leading economies in ASEAN and the 37th in the world, as well as one of the most open economies with the signing of 14 free trade agreements (FTA), including new generation deals.

As a responsible member of the United Nations, Vietnam has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council twice, and excellently performed the role of ASEAN Chair twice, including in 2020 amid the challenging situation due to COVID-19, he said.

The diplomat also spotlighted the growth of the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership over the years, including many high-level visits to each other.

He underlined that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s participation in the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland this November and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son’s attendance at the G7-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will contribute to strongly boosting the bilateral partnership in the future.

At the ceremony, the Vietnamese Embassy honoured a number of individuals and organisations in the UK for supporting Vietnam in COVID-19 prevention and control activities. They have raised about US$575,400 in cash and medical supplies for Vietnam.

The embassy also auctioned three paintings by Vietnamese young painters for 6,700 pounds (US$9,158) for the COVID-19 fight at home.

Participants also had a chance to enjoy a photo collection featuring UNESCO-recognised tangible and intangible heritages of Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese culture and cuisine.