Overseas Vietnamese in Japan gathered at a program held by the Vietnamese embassy on January 25 to celebrate the Lunar New Year Festival. 

Vietnamese ambassador to Japan, Doan Xuan Hung, affirmed that the Vietnamese embassy will open its doors to welcome overseas Vietnamese from all over Japan, especially at Tet.

He went on to say that the Vietnamese community in Japan has always maintained great solidarity towards its homeland contributing to a strong and prosperous nation.

Tong Kim Giao, an entrepreneur in Japan said that the event has inspired her to want to return to her hometown while the President of the Vietnam Students Association Le Thi Minh Hang expressed delight at the amount of Vietnamese nationals enjoying traditional foods and songs.

The number of Vietnamese people in Japan, particularly students has increased rapidly to more than 60,000 in the past two years.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Consulate General in Sydney held a Tet get-together for overseas Vietnamese in Australia and staff from Vietnamese representative agencies in Sydney.

Consul General Mai Phuoc Dung informed his guests of Vietnam’s situation in 2013 and emphasized that contributions made by overseas Vietnamese towards their homeland is one of the most important factors for national development. He called on overseas Vietnamese to promote the same patriotic spirit in the future.

To mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia, Consul General Dung also highlighted major achievements in economic, educational and external relations and affirmed that comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations will be promoted effectively.

Vietnam’s Consulate General in Houston, Texas, the US also held a ceremony to welcome the New Year with the attendance of over 200 guests from local authorities, companies, American friends and overseas Vietnamese.

Consul general Nguyen Van Hoa briefed participants of the country’s socio-economic situation and reviewed developments in the bilateral relationship, describing relations with Texas as bright.

He said  more and more  companies and organisations from Texas have arrived in Vietnam to seek investment opportunities. At present, there are nearly 4,000 Vietnamese students studying at universities and colleges in Texas

Houston in particular has accelerated relations with Vietnam, especially with the memorandum of understanding between Houston and Da Nang city. Accordingly, some businesses from Houston namely Rocky Lai & Associates; ADC&HAS, Cedona Group, Globalinx have invested in Da nang.

Hoa affirmed that the consulate general will continue to serve as an important bridge for the Vietnam-US relationship. Representatives from overseas Vietnamese and US companies operating in Vietnam expressed their satisfaction with recent relations.

Participants also saw some beautiful images of Vietnamese people and its nation and enjoyed some traditional dishes on the occasion of Tet as well as cultural performances by Vietnamese students in Houston.

(VOV)