Members of the second-tenure executive committee of the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe. (Source: VNA)

The event was also attended by representatives of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, and the embassies of Vietnam in 15 European countries.

In his opening remarks, Chairman of the union Hoang Dinh Thang said the congress was an occasion for the union to review its achievements as well as shortcomings in the first tenure so as to set up a work programme for the second, align its statutes with the current context, and elect enthusiastic, capable, reputable, and responsible candidates to the union’s executive committee and inspection board for the second tenure.

Nguyen Van Thao, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, expressed his hope that as relations between Vietnam and the EU are now at their prime, the union will have a practical and effective action plan to tap into its abundant potential and resources, especially of young people, entrepreneurs and intellectuals, in order to help strengthen Vietnam’s cooperation with EU members and popularise the homeland’s image as a responsible member of the international community.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Thai Xuan Dung said he hopes the union will promote mutual support among its member associations so that overseas Vietnamese can assist one another in the daily life and in integration into local communities, uphold and bring into play Vietnam’s cultural identity, and contribute to the homeland.

Authorised by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Chairwoman of the Czech Government’s Office J. Kotalikova said the long-standing cooperation between the two countries has been growing, partly contributed by the Vietnamese community in her country. She noted PM Fiala is delighted that bilateral cooperation is not restricted to economy but has been expanded to culture and other social aspects.

Jan Zahradil, Vice Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, held that the union’s second congress held in Prague during the tenure of the Czech Republic’s presidency of the EU would help highlight messages from the Vietnamese community in Europe.

Founded in 2016, the union has become the largest organisation of Vietnamese people in Europe.

The second congress was initially slated for October 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the event, the union elected a 61-member executive committee with Hoang Dinh Thang re-elected its chairman.