Do Thi Kim Lien, South African honourable consul to Ho Chi Minh city, presents a gift to a community’s fund. (Photo: LDO)
The South African Consulate in Ho Chi Minh city on April 22nd said that it had organized a meeting to mark the 24th anniversary of South Africa’s -Freedom Day (April 27th), 25th anniversary of the Vietnam - South Africa diplomatic relationship, and 100th birthday of South African President Nelson Mandela.
Addressing the meeting, Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro, South African Ambassador to Vietnam, stressed that South Africa and Vietnam had increasingly developed their relationship.
According to Le Quang Long, Director of the Ho Chi Minh city Department of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam always attaches great importance to boosting cooperation with South Africa. “Ho Chi Minh city and South Africa’s Johannesburg city have set up relationship,” he said.
The trade turnover between South Africa and Vietnam has increased from USD700 million in 2012 to over USD1.5 billion in 2017, and the figure is expected to increase to USD2 billion in 2018.
During the promotion of the cooperative relationship between the two countries, South African honourable consul to Ho Chi Minh city, Do Thi Kim Lien, said that she always remembered President Nelson Mandela saying “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” thus regularly carrying out activities for communities, society and environment.
Accordingly, this year, Ms Lien has presented hundreds of scholarships to disabled pupils and orphans; paid gratitude to Spratly islands soldiers; built houses of charity and gratitude, and highlands preschools; and cared for Vietnamese heroic mothers, lonely elderly people and navy forces’ beneficiary families, using capital of over VND5 billion./.