The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations on December 1 hosted a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of Romania’s National Day. The Romanian ambassador delivers a speech at the anniversary celebration. Since Vietnam and Romania established diplomatic ties in 1950, the Romanian people have provided great support and valuable assistance for Vietnam in the past struggles for national independence and the current national construction. Romania has helped train nearly 4,000 Vietnamese cadres, postgraduates and students and offered the best possible conditions for the Vietnamese community’s lives thus contributing to the stronger development of all-sided cooperation between the two nations. HCM City is speeding the establishment of Vietnam-Romania Friendship Association which will act as a bridge for promoting the two countries’ friendship. Addressing the ceremony, Romanian ambassador to Vietnam Valeriu Arteni said Vietnam holds a special position in his country’s external policy and is a leading trade partner in ASEAN. He said he hopes the two countries will effectively tap potential for broader cooperation in line with the two peoples’ expectation. The same day, a gathering celebrating the event took place in Hanoi. Chairman of the Vietnam-Romania Friendship Association Tong Van Nga said Vietnam and Romania are preparing for the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic, Sci-tech and Trade Cooperation. Two-way trade in January-September hit US$32.7 million. Both nations have made progress in cross cultural exchanges and political, economic and cultural cooperation, he noted. VOV