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Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai (R) shakes hands with Consul General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City Behzad Babakhani (Photo: Viet Dung) |
At the same time, an inauguration ceremony of Inukshuk Statue also was held at the largest zoo in the city.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the program, on behalf of Ho Chi Minh City’s leaders, Mr. Phan Van Mai who is Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, extended the heartiest congratulations to Consul General of Canada to Ho Chi Minh City Behzad Babakhani, officers of the Consulate General and Canadian studying, living and working in the city.
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Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai speaks at the ceremony (Photo: Viet Dung) |
According to him, the two countries have witnessed tremendous growth in bilateral relations since the diplomatic relation was established for half a century ago, especially since upgrading the relations to Comprehensive Partnership in 2017.
Currently, Vietnam is the largest trading partner of Canada in ASEAN with an increasing surge of investment capital from Canada that is considered as platform to achieve the set target of increasing the two-way turnover from US$7 billion to US$10 billion in the coming time.
Apart from economic and trade activities, the two sides have concentrated on promoting cultural exchanges, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Notably, Vietnam-Canada friendship continues to be boosted thanks to the presence of about 250,000 Vietnamese-Canadians in Canada.
As for the side of Ho Chi Minh City, the growth of Canadian people along with businesses has contributed to the city's development in many fields, thereby actively promoting the relationship between the two countries in general and between Ho Chi Minh City and Canada in particular.
At the event, Chairman Phan Van Mai thanked the Consulate General of Canada for presenting HCMC with the Inukshuk Statue that is considered as a very meaningful and practical cultural exchange activity to help people of the two countries learn about each other's culture, enhance solidarity, friendship and cooperation.
The statue was placed in the campus of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
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Inukshuk Statue is placed in the campus of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Photo: Viet Dung) |
The traditional symbol of Inukshuk was created by a Canadian Inuit artisan, originating from the indigenous people of Inuit in the Northwest of Canada. The Inuksuk statute is a meaningful figure made of piled stones with the shape of a human and an outstretched arm. Of which, the statute basically shows direction, friendship or durable mutual connections.
The Canadian Government has presented some nations with the statue or given financial contribution to build it as a national symbol in some countries, comprising the United States, Norway, Mexico, Australia and so on.
At the program “Golden Milestone” celebrating 50 years of Vietnam- Canada diplomatic relations, the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO), Vietnam – Canada Friendship Association, “Sharing” group and the Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper co-joined to award 50 scholarships and gifts worth VND2 million (US$84) each to poor pupils with outstanding studying results.
They also offered friendship gifts worth VND1 million (US$42) each to 50 Vietnamese and Canadian students with outstanding results on various fields, gave presents worth VND1.5 million (US$63) each to 1,400 pupils with difficult circumstances in Ho Chi Minh City, provinces of Long An and An Giang.
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Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Phan Van Mai presents a gift to an outstanding student (Photo: Viet Dung) |
Chairman Phan Van Mai highly appreciated the “Golden Milestone” program which was one of the meaningful and practical activities welcoming the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic establishment of the two countries in Ho Chi Minh City.
The program is not only a chance for residents and Canadian communities in Ho Chi Minh City to exchange together, but it shall be also an activity of humanism when many agencies, organizations and unions joined hands to take care of 1,400 children with difficult circumstances to enjoy Mid-Autumn Festival and prepare for the new school year, he added.
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Delegates pose a photo with children at the event (Photo: Viet Dung) |
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai believed that the joint work to take care of young generations, who decide the future of the Vietnam-Canada relationship, is the best preparedness for the bilateral relationship in the next half-century.
The meaningful activity will spread positive energy for the relationship development between the two countries in general and between Ho Chi Minh City and Canada in particular in the upcoming time, he said.
