Hanoi: The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore on January 27 evening held a get-together for Vietnamese in the country on the occasion of the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung briefed the participants on the situation at home, as well as the Vietnam-Singapore relations, saying Singapore remained one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam, and the bilateral ties have been developing more comprehensively.

He called on Vietnamese living and working in Singapore to build a strong community there, stay united, and preserve and uphold traditional culture.

On this occasion, the diplomat presented certificates of merit to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Vietnamese community in Singapore.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia and the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association co-organised a Tet festival at the Bukit Bintang centre in Kuala Lumpur on January 27-28, with its opening ceremony attended by some Malaysian officials and representatives of local businesses.

In
her remarks, Tran Thi Chang, President of the association, promised to continue supporting Vietnamese there, contributing to tightening the Vietnam-Malaysia friendship.

Ambassador Dinh Ngoc Linh called on the Vietnamese community to make more contributions to the development of both countries, as well as the bilateral friendship, noting the Vietnamese language and culture should be further preserved.

Mohamed Amin, Senior Director of Domestic and Event, Tourism Malaysia, said special events like the festival have played a role in promoting the good friendship between the two countries and exchanges between their citizens.

The Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is committed to supporting the establishment of the sister-city model between Melaka and Hoi An, and Langkawi and Phu Quoc in the time ahead, he noted.

The festival featured a menu of activities promoting Vietnamese cuisine and culture.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Luang Prabang of Laos in coordination with th
e Vietnamese community in northern Lao provinces hosted a party with the participation of Lao officials.

In Australia, the social-charitable group “New Sunlight for Children” also met ahead of Tet, during which they made banh chung (square, glutinous rice cake) – a traditional dish of Vietnamese people on the festival./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency