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| General Secretary To Lam and his wife with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the orchid naming ceremony. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Connecting friendship
On the morning of March 12, in the Lion Island, General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Singapore People's Action Party (PAP) Lawrence Wong attended the naming ceremony of a new orchid species at the National Orchid Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The event is not simply a diplomatic ceremony to welcome leaders visiting the island nation, but also symbolizes the good bilateral relationship between the two countries. The new orchid species named “Papilionanda Tô Lâm Linh Ly” is the messenger marking the development of the long-standing friendship.
After signing the guest book, General Secretary To Lam and his wife attached a nameplate to the orchid tree and visited the orchid garden. On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam presented a souvenir to the Director of the National Orchid Garden.
Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site (July 2015).
With tens of thousands of orchids, including about 1,200 natural species and more than 2,000 hybrids, this is considered the largest orchid display in the world.
Special diplomatic protocol
Since 1956, Singapore has initiated the orchid diplomacy - a subtle and meaningful gesture to strengthen friendly relations with countries and partners. The orchid naming ceremony is a diplomatic protocol reserved for special high-ranking guests of Singapore.
Following this tradition, each new orchid species is named after a foreign leader visiting the Southeast Asian country, as a symbol of honor and respect, and to affirm the sustainability of foreign relations.
Many precious orchid species are cared for and grown at the Singapore Botanic Gardens named after heads of state from around the world. Previously, in February 2023, Singapore honored Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran by naming a new orchid species “Papilionanda Pham Le Tran Chinh”.
According to BiblioAsia (Singapore), the country chose orchids as a symbol of its foreign policy because of their brilliant beauty, enduring vitality and strong self-healing ability, clearly reflecting the resilient image of the country. Hybrid orchids are not only rich in color but also shine as a living symbol of multicultural heritage and global vision.
Once named, the new orchid species will be officially registered with the Royal Horticultural Society, the international organization that manages the orchid species catalogue.
The honored leaders will receive a certificate with full information about the flower. If they wish to grow the orchid bearing their name in their homeland, the Singapore Botanic Gardens will provide seedlings propagated from the flower stalks, along with detailed care instructions, allowing them to bring a piece of the symbol of friendship back home.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/su-gia-hoa-lan-307432.html
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