Delegates at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Viet Anh emphasized that over the past 45 years, the friendship between Vietnam and Austria has developed continuously and achieved good results, especially in the fields of economy and trade. Austria has become Vietnam's fifth largest trading partner in the European Union (EU), with a two-way trade turnover of USD3 billion last year.
Chairman of the Austrian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Josef Cap affirmed that on December 1st, 1972, Austria was the third Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which was still struggling for independence and freedom. Austria-Vietnam relations have been increasingly active in political, economic and cultural terms in recent years.
At the event, an exhibition including nearly 300 photos was also launched about Vietnam-Austria relations, focusing on world heritage sites in Vietnam, Vietnam’s traditional trade villages, Vietnam’s festivals, Vietnam’s cuisine; and the landscape-country-people of Vietnam.
Particularly highlighted is the beauty of Vietnam’s sea and islands with vivid images of the lives of Vietnamese soldiers and people on Truong Sa Archipelago, Ly Son and Phu Quoc islands.
The photos about the beauty of Vietnam’s sea and islands and documents about Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes attracted the attention of the participants.
In addition, participants also enjoyed an art program performed by artists from the Vietnam Contemporary Art Theater.
Vice President of the Federal Council Ingrid Winkler said she was delighted at the development of the Austrian-Vietnamese relationship in many areas and from the viewpoint of an individual, who was ever an economist, she believed that in the future the investment, trade and tourism cooperation between the two countries would make great progress./.