50th anniversary of ASEAN establishment marked in Ho Chi Minh City

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, reviewed the process of the establishment and development of ASEAN since its establishment in 1967.

Today ASEAN has become a community representing the collective will of the Southeast Asian nations, which have strong attachments of friendship and cooperation through common endeavours and efforts to ensure that our people and future generations enjoy peace, freedom and prosperity. According to him, a new milestone in ASEAN's development process is the setting up of the ASEAN Community on December 31^st, 2015.

The chairman affirmed that the ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony expresses the common sense of building the ASEAN Community, promoting the role and image of ASEAN, positively contributing to the development of the bloc.

The event also showed the will and commitment of Ho Chi Minh City in the effort to strengthen the friendship and development cooperation with member countries, as well as to show ASEAN’s important role for the development of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the whole country in general.

He believed that ASEAN will continue to progress toward higher connectivity goals for common peace, security, stability and prosperity for more than 625 million ASEAN people./.