Vietnam celebrates Army Day in many countries

23/12/2009

A series of ceremonies to mark the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22) were held in Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Japan by the Vietnamese Embassies and the Vietnam Defence Attaché Offices in the countries.

The meetings were attended by high-ranking representatives from the host countries’ governments and armies.

Speaking at the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 21, Vietnamese defence attaché Tran Ngoc Dan reviewed the Vietnam People’s Army courageous exploits during the past struggle for national liberation and unification, and its contributions to the cause of national construction and defence. The Vietnamese army has been working to expand its relations with other armed forces in the region and the world in order to fulfil its strategic tasks of defending and building the country, he said.

In Tokyo, Japan on December 22, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh took the occasion to thank Japan and other countries for their cooperation with and assistance to Vietnam and its people in general and the Vietnam People’s Army in particular in the country’s international integration and economic development process.

Japanese senator Iwao Matsuda, Vice Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Federation, expressed his admiration for the Vietnam People’s Army. He pledged to try his best in his role as an organiser of Vietnam’s cultural festival in Japan to work harder for mutual understanding and friendship between the two governments and people of Vietnam and Japan.

At the December-22 meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Tea Banh spoke highly of achievements made by the Vietnam People’s Army in the process of national liberation and the country’s development.

Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim also sent a letter of greetings to the Vietnamese army, expressing his gratefulness to the sacrifice of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who helped Cambodian people escape genocide in 1979 during their struggle for national liberation.

The meeting in Malaysia was an opportunity for Vietnam and Malaysia to review their cooperation. Over the past many years, the two sides have exchanged many visits by high-ranking military officials and naval vessels.

They also pledged to boost cooperation in the fields of military training, military information and human resource exchange, joint patrols on the sea and fighting trans-border crimes. Malaysia has granted many scholarships for Vietnamese officers to study in the Malaysian Military Academy.

VNA/VOVNews