Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Karl Van den Bossche (L) and Ly Khanh Linh, the winner of the logo design competition (R) at the logo announcement ceremony, Ha Noi, March 22, 2023

Addressing the official launch of the logo on Wednesday in Ha Noi, Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Karl Van den Bossche said that "We are proud to be Belgians in Viet Nam" is our slogan for the 50 years.

The Ambassador added that the Embassy wanted to create a logo for this joyous occasion, made by the young Vietnamese artist and design community. The logo needs to be easily recognized and should symbolize the deep relations over the past 50 years.

The winner was chosen based on the following criteria: 30 percent of creativity and originality of the logo design, 30 percent of relevance to the 50th year anniversary, 20 percent of number of votes on Facebook and 20 percent of visual appeal of the logo design.

iss Ly Khanh Linh said that "My idea was inspired by the famous places of both countries with the hope of conveying a message of culture exchange and fine relations. When I think of Viet Nam, I constantly thought of Khue Van Cac, a traditional symbol strongly imprinted in the Vietnamese people's awareness, she said.

"Turing to Belgium, the Atomium is regarded as a notable landmark, also catched my eye," the winner added.   

In the design process, she used the number 50 as the main feature and combined it with a special architectural image thay symbolizes the 50 years of strengthened, consolidated, and diversified relationship between Viet Nam and Belgium.

In terms of colors, she used the Belgian flag colors, with black representing those who fought for the country's independence, yellow representing wealth, and red representing the sacrifice by heroes during the liberation of the Kingdom of Belgium. Red also represents the color of Vietnamese who fought for our country's life today.

Great great potentials for bilateral ties

Belgium and its neighboring European nations, including Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy, quickly recognized Viet Nam in 1973.  

It's the reason why so many EU-countries are celebrating their respective 50 years anniversaries this year, said Ambassador Karl Van den Bossche.

On the occasion of the anniversary, the Ambassador announced that there will be many official visits with the engagement of businesses in the time ahead. 

Specifically, Majesty the Queen of Belgium will visit Viet Nam in May in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF. In September, the Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon, Belgium will lead a big business delegation to Viet Nam. And in the third quarter of 2024, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are scheduled to pay a State visit to Viet Nam.

The Ambassador underlined the need to better optimize the country's great potential towards the final goal of a linkage chain with high added value.

Along with investing in maritime logistics like the DEEP C Service Complex in the northern port city of Hai Phong, Belgium's biggest project in Viet Nam, Belgium plans to launch more projects in the connectivity chain in farming and husbandry, such as a cold storage chain in the Mekong Delta which is expected to greatly benefit the agricultural community.

Belgium's agricultural technology would be useful in helping Viet Nam to raise productivity and profits.

Apart from agriculture, the Ambassador suggested the two countries step up cooperation in green energy and climate change response, pointing to advantages for the collaboration such as new technologies and the EU's Global Gateway Initiative. 

Besides, Belgium is also a logistics hub and a maritime gateway to Europe, while its pharmaceutical industry supplies vaccines and essential medicines to the world.