It was a festive and auspicious Lunar New Year (Tet) 2019 celebration for the Vietnamese community in Qatar held recently at the Vietnamese Embassy.
Vietnam Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Thao led the jovial celebration attended by Embassy officials, their families, other members of the community and guests.
“In the jubilant atmosphere, together with Vietnamese people in all parts of the country and the world preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2019, the Vietnamese Embassy in Qatar is organising this Tet for the Vietnamese living and working in Qatar to get together in their Vietnamese common home in Qatar,” the Ambassador said while addressing the event.
Tet is considered the most important celebration in the Vietnamese culture marking the arrival of Spring and Vietnamese people even abroad mark the occasion with festivities.
“For every Vietnamese, Tet and Spring are the time when people turn to their families, friends and homeland. However, many Vietnamese people are abroad, far from their homeland. Therefore, the Embassy hopes that the Tet Festival is a chance for Vietnamese community in Qatar to meet, exchange, and share the joys in Qatar during the Lunar New Year Festival,” the envoy said as he welcomed the attendees including guests.
“In the warm atmosphere of family reunion and the joy of welcoming the new year, on behalf of the Vietnamese Embassy in Qatar, I warmly welcome all the distinguished guests who spend time with us today. On the occasion of Tet, I would like to extend best wishes to all the Vietnamese community in Qatar,” he said.
The Ambassador highlighted the many important achievements Vietnam attained in various fields in the past year.
“Macroeconomics is stable, inflation controlled and economic indicators reached the set target. GDP growth reaches 7 percent, the highest level since 2008 - the time of the world economic crisis,” he pointed out.
He said the Government had made great efforts in changing mechanisms and policies, creating conditions for businesses and foreign investors to have a good business environment. He underlined that “Vietnam continues to be highly appreciated by international economic organizations and remains a destination to attract many foreign investors.”
Vietnam Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Thao.
“Besides, independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity are maintained; defense and security are enhanced; political security, social order and safety are ensured. The achievements in the fields have contributed to strengthening the belief, creating an exciting atmosphere in the whole society, providing a favorable momentum for the country to continue sustainable development,” he added.
The envoy touched on the role and position of Vietnam in the region and in the international arena being increasingly strengthened.
“Vietnam is an active and responsible member of regional and international organizations, working together with the international community to cope with the difficulties, challenges and common tasks of humanity,” he stressed.
Speaking about the relations between Vietnam and Qatar, he said that last year was a significant milestone in the relationship since it marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He said that during the past years, the political relations between Vietnam and Qatar have been remarkably developed by leaders of the two countries.
“Prominent in bilateral relations in 2018 is the event that Qatar Airways launched the direct flights connecting Doha and Da Nang. This event is of great significance for the development of Da Nang in particular and the Central region of Vietnam in general. Through traffic connections, economic, trade and investment sectors will be the priorities of the two sides in the future,” he added.
This year, Chairman of National Assembly, H E Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan is planning to attend the International Parliamentary Union - IPU to be held in Qatar, an event which the ambassador said will further contribute to strengthening the relations between the two countries.
The ambassador hailed the big contribution of Vietnamese Community Liaison Board in Qatar in organizing community events during the 25th anniversary of bilateral relations last year. Just last month, a new set of office bearers has been elected in the board with Nguyen Trung Hieu as the new head and Nguyen Thanh Tung and Nguyen Tien Hiep as deputy heads.
“On this occasion. I would like to congratulate all new leadership members in the Board, hoping that with the efforts of the Liaison Board, the Vietnamese community in Qatar will unite, overcome difficulties and continue achieving successes in many fields; and that the Board will continue to play the role of a bridge between the Vietnamese community and the Embassy,” said the ambassador.
He added: “I would like to thank the members Liaison Board and the entire Vietnamese community in Qatar and hope that, in 2019, the Liaison Board and the whole Vietnamese community will continue to join the Embassy in promoting the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Qatar.”
A number of cultural presentations as well as traditional Vietnamese food also featured the celebration.
