Berlin (VNA) – Nguyen Duc Thang, head of the Thang Muoi (October) arts club – a memberof the Germany - Vietnam Association, has highlighted the role of culturalexchanges in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Talking tothe Vietnam News Agency ahead of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’sstate visit to Vietnam on January 23 - 24, Thang said that the coming visitwill be the third to Vietnam by Steinmeier, who previously visited the SoutheastAsian nation as Federal Foreign Minister of Germany in February 2008 and asVice Chancellor in November 2016, showing his strong bonds with Vietnam.

Through this trip, theGerman President wants to emphasise his country’swish to expand and diversify political and economic relations with Vietnam, andcontinue to make important steps to enhance the countries’ strategic relationsand elevate their ties to a new height.

The delegation will include many leading enterprises ofGermany, so the visit will be a chance for them and Vietnamese firms to discussthe reinforcement of partnerships in such fields as economy, investment, trade,vocational training, scientific research, and especially labour – an issuematching the German Government’s concern and Vietnam’s strength, Thang noted.

In addition, he wen on, bilateral connections in culture,education, and health care have also been growing strongly, which is partly attributedto the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese associations in Germany.

Aside from the State’s diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy and such activitiesof Vietnamese people as presenting 100,000 face masks to 16 states of Germany ormaking donations to residents in two flood-hit southwestern states have alsohelped strengthen ties between the Vietnamese community in Germany and localpeople, thus contributing to the two countries’ mutual understanding andVietnamese people’s standing there.

Thanks toregular high-ranking mutual visits, cooperation in economy, trade, investment,culture, and education - training, along with contributions by Vietnamesepeople in Germany, relations between the two countries will continue developingvigorously and mutual trust be strengthened, thus optimising the strengths of eachside, Thang said.

The head of the Thang Muoi arts club also considered culturalactivities of his club as a contribution to bilateral cultural exchanges.

Founded in 2011, the club is among the few working in thefield of culture for external affairs, he said, noting that together with helpingmaintain Vietnam’s traditional culture and arts, it has also worked tointroduce the homeland’s culture to German and international friends, whilefrequently taking part in charitable activities in both countries.

With those activities, theclub has helped promote cultural links between the two countries, enhancemutual understanding, and raise the standing of the Vietnamese community inGermany, Thang added./.