Hanoi (VNA) – TheVietnamese Embassies in Canada and Mexico held ceremonies on September 4 to celebratethe 74th National Day, gathering a large number of Vietnameseexpatriates and international friends.

Speaking at the ceremony inCanada, Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Nguyen Duc Hoa said it was the honourfor him to organise such event in Ottawa for the third time.

The diplomat took the occasion tohighlight significant progress in Vietnam – Canada relations across numerousfields including trade, investment, agriculture, technology, defence,education, tourism, climate change adaptation, and people-to-people exchange.

Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister atGlobal Affairs Canada, said trade expansion and diversification with countrieslike Vietnam is one of the priorities of the Canadian Government.

She stressed that apart frombeing a trade partner, Vietnam is also a close and important defence partner ofCanada in Southeast Asia.

In 2018, Vietnam was the biggesttrade partner of Canada in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).There are close to 250,000 Vietnamese expatriates living in the North America nation,along with 14,000 students studying at Canadian education institutions.

The celebration in Canada alsodisplayed paintings and a book on late President Ho Chi Minh, photos capturingVietnamese landscapes, and local handicraft products. Participants were alsotreated to traditional Vietnamese dishes like pho (noodle soup) and nem (springrolls).

Meanwhile, the ceremony in Mexico,which featured a photo exhibition and Vietnamese cuisine, saw the presence of300 guests, who are representatives of Mexican public agencies, diplomaticcorps, and Vietnamese expats.

Addressing the event, VietnameseAmbassador to Mexico Nguyen Hoai Duong briefed the participants on Vietnam’s achievementsover the past three decades. The country has recorded an annual averageeconomic growth rate of 6-7 percent and enjoyed political stability and extensiveinternational integration, he said.


Vietnam appreciated theinternational community’s support and assistance during its past struggle forindependence as well as current national construction and protection, Duongaffirmed.

The ambassador lauded the robust developmentof Vietnam-Mexico diplomatic relations since the establishment 44 years ago inall fields, particularly politics, economy-trade and culture. Last year,bilateral trade reached nearly 5 billion USD.

Claudia Franco Hijuelos, head ofthe Mexican Foreign Ministry’s Asia-Pacific Department, said Mexico attachesimportance to multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, its strategic partner inAsia-Pacific.

The official said she isconfident that Vietnam, in its capacity as Chair of ASEAN next year and a non-permanentmember of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, will have positivecontributions to maintaining regional and world peace and security.-VNA