Vietnam and Venezuela strengthen people-to-people exchange activities

On April 19, the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela, the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House and the Caracas Government jointly organized the opening ceremony of the cultural and sports exchange program between the two countries.

Photo caption — *Delegates attending the event held at Hugo Chavez Park, capital Caracas. Photo: VNA*

According to the VNA correspondent in Latin America, the event held on the occasion of Venezuela's Independence Day and the day of solidarity with the Venezuelan people was attended by representatives of the local government, the Department of Sports and Culture of Caracas, along with representatives of departments, athletes and a large number of people in the city. Speaking at the opening ceremony, on behalf of the local government, Mr. Armando Graterol, a delegate of the People's Council of Coche Parish - where the event was held, affirmed that the Venezuelan people love and respect President Ho Chi Minh , who led the Vietnamese revolution to success. Mr. Graterol hopes that in the coming time, the Vietnamese Embassy as well as the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House will continue to coordinate to organize many similar events to strengthen the connection between the people of the two countries, as well as help the people of Caracas have the opportunity to better understand the culture, heroic history, as well as the beauty of the country and people of Vietnam.

At the ceremony, President of the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House Carolus Wimmer reviewed important milestones in the relationship between the two countries, especially the event when the Caracas Guerrilla Group captured an American Lieutenant Colonel in exchange for the freedom of hero Nguyen Van Troi. According to Mr. Wimmer, throughout history, people's diplomacy has been an important pillar to strengthen and consolidate bilateral relations, and this event is no exception. For his part, Chargé d'Affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela Doan Bao Trung expressed his thanks to the Caracas City Government and the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House for organizing this meaningful cultural and sports exchange. Mr. Doan Bao Trung stated that Vietnam and Venezuela have always maintained a traditional friendship and this relationship has been especially strengthened since Commander Hugo Chavez led the Venezuelan revolution.

The Charge d'Affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela affirmed that Vietnam always supports the Government and people of Venezuela in protecting national sovereignty and independence, and highly appreciated the sports and cultural exchange program, saying that this is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the people of the two countries in particular and the good relationship between Vietnam and Venezuela in general.

At the opening ceremony, the traditional Vietnamese conical hat dance was performed by artists from the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House, blending with traditional Venezuelan dances, thereby creating a unique Venezuela - Vietnam cultural exchange. In addition, songs about President Ho Chi Minh and Commander Hugo Chavez were performed by Venezuelan singers, with the cheers of many Caracas people and friends attending the event. The event will last until May 13 at Hugo Chavez Park in the capital Caracas, including art and sports performances. It is expected that at the closing ceremony, representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and the President of the Venezuela - Vietnam Friendship House will present trophies to the winning teams in football and handball.