President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga handed over the Friendship Order, presented by State President Nguyen Phu Trong, to the Finland - Vietnam Friendship Association (FVFA) at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 6.

In her speech, Nga said the honour is to recognise the FVFA’s active contributions to strengthening solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the two peoples. Founded in 1971, the association has stood side by side with the Vietnamese people in the struggle for national reunification and construction and defence over the past five decades, she said.

The FVFA has offered support to the Vietnamese people via humanitarian and charity projects, such as the one on cooperation with Vietnamese women in six communes of Hoa Binh province and Hanoi during the 1996-2003 period, and another on credit for women in four communes of Son La province from 2001-2007.

In Finland, the FVFA regularly holds fund-raising activities in support of Vietnam, seminars popularising the country, its culture and people, as well as offers consultations to Finnish individuals, organisations and businesses that want to explore cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese partners.

Nga expressed her belief that the FVFA will continue serving as a bridge linking Finnish and Vietnamese peoples, and partnering with the Vietnamese people in national development process.

FVFA President Mauri Raveala, for his part, affirmed the basic task of the association of introducing Vietnam’s culture to Finnish people and assisting the Vietnamese people via charity projects for the poor.

He also pledged that the FVFA will continue making positive contributions to promoting friendship between the two countries in the time to come.