On the occasion of the 78th Anniversary of the National Day of Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Thai Xuan Dund and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thien Nga hosted a special reception at Dong Do Restaurant in Sapa (Prague‘s Little Hanoi). Here are the selected extracts of Ambassador ́s speeach at the festive event together with some photos illustrating the atmosphere.
Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my great pleasure and honor to warmly welcome you all here today to celebrate the 78th Anniversary of Vietnam’s Independence Day.
Particularly, I would like to acknowledge the presence of H.E. Mr. Eduard Hulicius, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and of H.E. Mr. Edvard Kožušník, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, and more than 300 other Excellencies Ambassadors, distinguished guests coming from the Czech Government and Parliament, from the diplomatic corps and Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your presence means a lot to us, and I would like to express my sincere thanks and wish you all good health, happiness and success!
September 2nd, 1945 is an important milestone marking a major turning point in Vietnam‘s history when President Ho Chi Minh, the Great Leader of the Vietnamese people read the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square, officially proclaiming to the whole world that Vietnam became an independent and sovereign country, giving birth to the Democratic – Republic of Vietnam, and now the Socialist – Republic of Vietnam.
78 years have passed since that historic moment, from a poor, backward colony, severely damaged by war, with aspiration for independence, peace and development, Vietnam has risen and now becomes one of the fastest growing countries in Asia.
Despite of many difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and external challenging environment, Vietnam has set a goal of greener and more inclusive growth, and will continue to implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization of international relations, being a friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations of Vietnam and the Czech Republic in 1950 and throughout our journey for national independence, reunification, development and defense, the Czech Government and people have always rendered to us invaluable support and assistance which we are very grateful and treasure for. On this occasion, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude and special thanks to the Czech Government and people for their most active cooperation and support over the years.
It is no exaggeration to say that the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic is better than ever before in all fields, including politics, diplomacy, economy, defense & security, culture, education & training, science & technology, and locality-to-locality cooperation.
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foreign political relations have been boosted. The official visit to Vietnam by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in April this year – the first high-level visit between the two countries since 2019 – takes place in the context of the Czech Republic promoting its Indo-Pacific strategy, in which Vietnam is considered as a none-EU important partner. In addition, there are visits to Vietnam by the Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová in December 2022, the Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela in February 2023 and the official visit to the Czech Republic by Vietnam Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in June 2023.
In the field of trade, since the EVFTA came into effect in August 2020, the bilateral trade turnover between the two countries has grown significantly, increasing at a double-digit rate in the last three years (2020 –2022), reaching $2.34 billion in 2022. Both sides are actively working together to further improve the effectiveness of the mechanism of the Joint- Governmental Committee for economic cooperation, and encouraging Czech businesses to invest in Vietnam, especially in areas where the Czech Republic has expertise, such as automotive manufacturing, digital transformation, renewable energy, environment, and infrastructure. In particular, we are looking forward to the production of SKODA automobiles in Vietnam as the Czech automaker SKODA has established its manufacturing plant in North-Eastern province of Quang Ninh, in partnership with Vietnamese automaker THANH CONG since February this year.
Talking about the relationship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, it would be remiss not to mention the presence of the Vietnamese community of nearly 100,000 Vietnamese who are living and working in this beautiful country and making active contributions to the economic, cultural and social life of the Czech Republic, as well as the good traditional friendship between the two countries. The Czech Republic is the first country to recognize the Vietnamese as the 14th ethnic minority of the Czech Republic. And this year marks ten years of the said recognition. This is a vivid testament to the very special relationship between our two countries.
Appreciating the traditional, long-standing and close friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, being well aware of the advantages and potentials of each country that can complement each other, the Government, people and businesses of the two countries are making efforts to strengthen and improve cooperation efficiency. I strongly believe that with such a positive momentum, the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between our two countries will develop to a new height in the years to come.
May I once again wish you all good health, happiness and success!
Thank you for your attention!
In a joyful atmosphere of celebrating the 78th anniversary of Viet Nam National Day, may I propose a toast:
To forever flourishing traditional friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and the Czech Republic!
To the people of the Czech Republic and Vietnam! Cheers!
