The event, chaired by Ambassador Ngo Tien Dung, was attended by officials from the Spanish government and the High Commissioner for Marca Espana, a long-term project aimed at strengthening Spain’s image among Spanish citizens and abroad, diplomats in Madrid and Vietnamese students and expats living in Spain.

Guests to the gathering were served with Vietnam’s traditional dishes and enjoyed an exhibition on photos and documentaries about the country’s beautiful landscapes and people.

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 Photo for illustration. Source: Embassy of Spain in Vietnam

In his opening remarks, Dung looked back at milestones in Vietnam’s history since late President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the country’s independence from France on September 2, 1945.

The country has seen a robust economic growth since the launch of the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) process in 1968. Its Gross Domestic Products expanded at an average rate of 7.5 percent annually from 1986 to 2006 and grew at around 6 percent in the last decade, he said.

Vietnam has firmly pursued a foreign policy of peace and multifaceted international relations over the past 72 years and the country’s achievements during the national building have been enormously supported by international communities, including Spain, he added.

The ambassador also gave his guests an overview of the Vietnam-Spain relations with their bilateral cooperation developing in all fields. The two-way trade reached about USD 3 billion in 2016 after growing at an annual rate of 15 percent in 16 years, he noted.

The two nations agreed to establish an inter-governmental committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation and signed the fifth financial program during the visit of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to Spain from May 23-25.

Source: VNA