The Vietnamese embassies in Germany and Malaysia have held celebrations to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) (1944 – 2019) and the 30th year of the All-People’s Defence Festival.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu (sixth from left),
military attaché Colonel Nguyen Tuan Minh (fifth from left) and other
countries' attachés pose for a photo at the ceremony in Berlin on
December 9 (Photo: VNA) 

The Berlin ceremony, which took place on December 9, saw the presence of about 150 guests who were officials from German defence and foreign affairs ministries, representatives from foreign diplomatic corps, and Vietnamese associations.

Opening the event, Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu briefed his guests on the VPA’s 75-year development and glorious victories in the fight for national independence, defend and reunify the nation. The army has also been playing an active role in maintaining regional and global peace and security, he said.

Vu thanked the government, federal parliament and people of Germany for supporting Vietnamese people in the national struggle for independence and in today’s development and international integration.

Colonel Nguyen Tuan Minh, Vietnamese military attaché in Germany, took the occasion to introduce about the 2019 White Paper on Vietnam National Defence, launched last month, and underline new points in Vietnam’s defence policies.

Vice Admiral Joachim Ruhle, Vice Chief of Defence, for his part, said he is impressed by the content and spirit of the White Paper which highlights peace and self-defence as basic principles of Vietnam’s defence policy.

A similar event was organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia in presence of Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence Lew Chin Tong and Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quy Quynh.

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese military attaché in Malaysia Nguyen Nhu Duc said the Defence Ministry of Vietnam has been busy preparing for Vietnam resuming the Chair of ASEAN next year and the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2020 – 2021.

He unveiled that defence-military meetings during the ASEAN 2020 year will promote defence-military diplomacy and partnership among ASEAN nations and between ASEAN and partners; and strengthen cooperation in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and improve Vietnam’s capacity by maintaining the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) specialist group in peacekeeping.

Ambassador Quynh presented a copy of the White Paper on Vietnam National Defence to Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence Lew Chin Tong.

Both Quynh and Duc said they hope the two nations’ friendship and partnership, particularly in defence, will further grow in the coming time.