Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese communities around the world have begun activitiesto celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, which is several days left.

In Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, Vietnamese expatriates joined togetherin Phat Tich pagoda on February 4 to pray for peace and happiness in theupcoming New Year.

Speaking at the event, Venerable Thich Minh Quang, head of the pagoda highlightedthe need to preserve Vietnam’s cultural identity and traditions.

Built in 1957, the pagoda is serving religious demand of overseas Vietnamese(OVs) living in Vientiane and adjacent areas. It is a place for exchange, thuspromoting unity in the Vietnamese community in the country.

On February 3, the Vietnamese permanentrepresentative delegation tothe UN and the Vietnamese Consulate General in New Yorkjointly held a get-together for OVs and international friends to welcome thenew spring.

In her speech at the event, Head of the Vietnamese permanentrepresentative delegation tothe UN Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga looked back Vietnam’sgreat achievements in 2017 across fields from economy, socio-culture, diplomacy,to defence and security.

The Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership has witnessed fruitful developmentsthrough Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to the US and PresidentDonald Trump’s official visit to Vietnam in the year.

She stressed contributions made by Vietnamese expats in the US as well as internationalfriends to promoting the relations between the two countries.

The ambassador took the occasion to wish OVs in New York and adjacent areas and international friends a happy New Year.

The same day, Vietnamese expats in Buenos Aires of Argentina and Moscow of Russiagathered at ceremonies to celebrate the traditional Tet.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Dang Xuan Dung informed that trade between thetwo countries exceeded 3 billion USD and Vietnam is the leading trade partner ofArgentine in Southeast Asia.

He hoped OVs will continue serving as a bridge to promote the traditional friendshipbetween the two countries.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh shared difficulties metby OVs living the country, affirming the embassy will do its best to support thecommunity in the coming time.

He asked for closer coordination and information exchange between the embassy andassociations and societies of the Vietnamese people, thus enhancing solidarityamong the Vietnamese communities in Russia.

Overseas Vietnamese in Australia also gathered in Canberra to celebrate thetraditional Lunar New Year festival on February 3.
Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam reviewedthe strong development of the Vietnam-Australia relations over the last 45years, saying that the two sides scheduled to sign a statement on upgradingtheir relations to “Strategic Partnership” in the upcoming visit of PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Australia to attend the ASEAN-Australia specialsummit.

He praised valuable contributions of Vietnamese communities in Australia, affirmingthat they are important factors to make the bilateral relations stronger.

Tran Ba Phuc, Chairman of the Vietnam entrepreneurs’ association in Australia thankedthe embassy in particular and the Vietnamese Government in general for theirsupport for Vietnamese community in the country, saying that the organisationof events of this kind every year contribute to preserving and promoting Vietnam’straditional culture.
The same day, Vietnam’sConsulate General in Sydney also held a gathering celebrating Tet for theVietnamese community in the city.
Also on February 3, Vietnam’sEmbassy in Japan and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka city of Japan hostedsimilar events, providing opportunities for Vietnamese expatriates to meet eachother after one year of hard work.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong updated participants on outstandingachievements in the Vietnam-Japan relationship in 2017, especially high-rankingvisits of the two countries’ leaders to deepen the Intensive Strategic Partnership.

He said the Vietnamese community in Japan made significant contributions to bothnations’ prosperity and expanding the bilateral ties in a sustainable manner.

He urged OVs in Japan to continue upholding the national great unity, and workharder to make more contributions to the bilateral relations.-VNA