Addressing the event, Vietnamese Consul General in Frankfurt am Main Luu Xuan Dong praised the association’s contributions over the past five decades. Since its establishment in 1976, the association has sought to bring together organizations and individuals who support Viet Nam, strengthen solidarity and serve as a bridge between the two peoples.
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Vietnam-related works in German translation on display |
He highlighted its cultural exchange activities to introduce Viet Nam and its people to German audiences. The association has also carried out humanitarian programs supporting Agent Orange victims, children with hearing impairments and disadvantaged students in remote areas through scholarships.
These meaningful activities have helped lay a solid foundation for the Viet Nam-Germany Strategic Partnership, he said.
Looking ahead, Dong noted that Viet Nam is entering a new development era and expressed hope that the association would continue to serve as a bridge, not only by maintaining traditional cultural exchanges but also by expanding cooperation into emerging fields such as science, technology, innovation and green transition, while connecting young intellectuals from the two countries.
At the ceremony, head of a delegation from the Viet Nam-Germany Friendship Association Nguyen Bich Ngoc handed over a congratulatory letter from former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, President of the Viet Nam-Germany Friendship Association, to President of the German-Viet Nam Friendship Association Professor Dr. Günter Giesenfeld, the association’s leadership and members.
The letter recalled the solidarity shown by predecessor organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, when anti-war movements and campaigns supporting peace and Viet Nam’s just struggle were active in Germany. Since its official establishment in 1976, the association has made important contributions to friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Dung praised Giesenfeld and generations of members for their longstanding dedication, expressing hope that the two friendship associations would strengthen coordination in people-to-people exchanges, culture, science and activities targeting young people.
In his speech, Giesenfeld reviewed the association’s history and development over the decades, stressing the need for friendship organizations to renew their methods of operation, shifting from solidarity based on support to equal partnerships that involve exchanging experience, sharing responsibility and seeking solutions to common global challenges.
He praised Viet Nam’s development achievements, particularly its efforts to combine economic growth with social progress, equity and people’s interests. He stressed that solidarity today should be based on respect, equality, sharing and partnership, alongside frank and constructive exchanges to strengthen mutual trust.
The ceremony also featured archival photographs and documentary footage compiled by Giesenfeld, tracing key milestones in Germany’s solidarity movement with Viet Nam. The program also featured readings of Vietnamese poems translated into German by Giesenfeld, helping introduce Vietnamese literary and cultural values to local audiences.
Source: VNA