Noble Italian order presented to Vietnam – Italy Friendship Association Chairman

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Nhat Quang, Chairman of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (R), receives the Order of the Star of Italy (Ordine della Stella d’Italia) bestowed by the Italian President from Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro. (Photo: TDO)

The order is the most noble reward that Italy presents to foreigners who make outstanding contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Italy and other countries. “The order to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Quang recognises his contributions to the enhancement of ties between Italy and Vietnam and his efforts to support collaboration activities between people of the two countries, especially in cultural and academic activities,” said Ambassador Antonio Alessandro.

Speaking at the awarding ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Nhat Quang expressed his great honour to receive the noble award. “This is a very meaningful event, because it is the recognition of the Italian State for my personal contributions to the development of the close friendship between Vietnam and Italy,” he said. “The fact that the President of the Republic of Italy awarded me the order is a great honor, marking a long way for me to be connected with the country and people of Italy.”

He noted that in the 1990s, Italy gave positive support to Vietnam in expanding partnership with the European Union (EU) as well as normalising relations with international financial, monetary and trade institutions. Meanwhile, Vietnam acted as a gateway for Italy to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries.
Since the two nations set up a strategic partnership in 2013, the bilateral cooperation has been expanded to almost all fields, including social sciences with many joint projects, he said.

For the Vietnam - Italy Friendship Association, 2021 is also the 35th anniversary of the association's establishment, and people-to-people diplomacy activities have brought about many remarkable results, contributing to enhancing the Italian cultural presence in Vietnam and vice versa, helping Italians understand more about Vietnam. “I and members of the association are trying our best to further the good traditional friendship between the two countries,” he added./.