Austria and Vietnam celebrate 50 Years of solidarity, people-to-people exchange, and joint future development
WVR - On October 20, at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy, the Austria-Vietnam Society organized a seminar titled “Austria-Vietnam: Partners in a Changing World” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Society's founding.
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| Seminar titled “Austria-Vietnam: Partners in a Changing World”. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Austria) |
The seminar attracted the participation of former AustrianAmbassadors to Vietnam, scholars, diplomats, business representatives, social organizations, associations, and the Vietnamese community in Austria.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang emphasized the significance of the 50-year milestone of the Austria-Vietnam Society, while highly appreciating the Society's persistent contributions to the friendship between the two countries.
The Ambassador congratulated the Austria-Vietnam Society for its journey since its establishment in 1976, supporting the Vietnamese people in efforts against blockades and embargoes, promoting humanitarian projects, healing war wounds, and supporting Agent Orange victims and orphans in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.
Generations of Austrian friends have wholeheartedly supported Vietnam, notably Mr. Georges Wächter (a European Viet Minh fighter, known by the Vietnamese name Ho Chi Tho), who lived and worked for 10 years combating relapsing fever in Vietnam and was among the few foreigners who were close friends of President Ho Chi Minh.
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| Delegates take a group photo. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Austria) |
As a social organization, the Society has recently created numerous spaces for exchange, dialogue, and connection between citizens, experts, businesses, and organizations from Vietnam and Austria. These activities have brought bilateral relations closer to social life, complementing state relations and deepening the bond between the peoples of the two countries.
The Ambassador affirmed that people-to-people diplomacy holds special significance in building trust, enhancing understanding, and creating a long-term social foundation for cooperative relations between Vietnam and Austria, especially as the two countries prepare to celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations.
Professor Alfred Gerstl, President of the Austria-Vietnam Society, recapped the 50-year journey of the Society's formation and development as well as its notable activities in recent times. He also expressed gratitude to the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for awarding the prestigious Friendship Order to Mr. Peter Jankowitsch, Honorary President of the Austria-Vietnam Society and former Austrian Foreign Minister, and to the Society as a whole.
Mr. Markus Hass, responsible for the Asia-Pacific region at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ), highly valued the dynamic development and significant potential of the Vietnamese market, which is attracting a new wave of high-quality, high-tech Austrian investment. He emphasized three focal points for the future: trust, trade, and technology.
A highlight of the seminar was the specific, lively stories reflecting the depth and diversity of Vietnam-Austria relations through the sharing of businesses, NGOs, and the young Vietnamese generation in Austria. These stories emphasized the good feelings and impressions of Vietnam's land and people, the great potential and positive prospects of the Vietnamese economy, and affirmed commitments and plans for cooperation, support, and connection with Vietnamese partners for friendship, development, and prosperity.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang emphasizes the significance of the 50th anniversary of the Austria-Vietnam Society. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Austria) |
After 50 years of operation, the Austria-Vietnam Society has affirmed its role as an important social and people-to-people bridge between the two countries. The Society's contributions are measured not only by the number of events or projects but also by the relationships built, understanding enhanced, and trust fostered across generations.
In the coming period, the Society is expected to closely coordinate with the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association, continue to expand its membership, actively connect social organizations, intellectuals, businesses, youth, and the Vietnamese community in Austria, thereby contributing to the increasingly profound, substantive, and sustainable development of bilateral relations.
