Prince Andrew Visits Vietnam to Celebrate 35th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties
Text of report in English by state-run Vietnamese news agency VNA website
[Unattributed article from the "Politics" page: "Prince Andrew attends celebrations of Vietnam-UK ties"]
Hanoi (VNA) -The visiting Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the UK, joined the UK Embassy staff and businessmen in a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties in Hanoi on Sept. 8.
Addressing the ceremony, Prince Andrew said his third Vietnam visit coincided with the two countries’ big event and was made as bilateral cooperation develops in almost all fields.
The Prince, who had visited Vietnam in 1999 and 2006, also asserted that he would contribute more to boosting the relations between the two countries in the future.
On behalf of the Vietnamese government, Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc expressed thanks to the British Royal Family and the Prince himself for their important contributions to the Vietnam-UK relations over the past years.
“The celebration of 35th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties is an event of great significance, marking an important stage of the development of the bilateral relations,” said Phuc.
The UK now is the biggest among EU donors of non-refundable aid to Vietnam, helping the country successfully implementing policies to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, and develop health care and education.
Over the recent years, the UK has become a leading partner of Vietnam with the two countries’ two-way trade recording an annual growth rate of 15-20 per cent and reaching 2 billion USD in 2007.
The European country stands third among EU investors with 1.4 billion USD in FDI capital.
Large businesses from the UK have been doing business in Vietnam, mainly in key industries such as oil and gas, finance-banking, and telecoms.
Originally published by VNA news agency website, Hanoi, in English 8 Sep 08.
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