Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassadorto Belgium and Luxembourg Vuong Thua Phong hosted a gathering at the Embassy ofVietnam in Brussels on September 4 to celebrate the 72nd anniversaryof the August Revolution and National Day.

The event was attended by Chairman of Friends ofVietnam Group at the European Parliament Jan Zahradil and senior officials fromBelgium and the European Union.

In his remarks at the event, Phong briefed hisguests on important milestones in Vietnam’s history since the birth of theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The past 72 years haveseen enormous efforts to retain freedom, build a communist country and developamid many difficulties, he said.

The ambassador thanked international friends fortheir support to Vietnam and their efforts to boost Vietnam-EU andVietnam-Belgium relations.

For his part, Chairman of Friends of Vietnam JanZahradil lauded Vietnam’s achievements during the “renewal” period andcongratulated the country as the host of this year’s Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) Forum.

He praised Vietnam for having concluded freetrade agreements with twelve foreign partners and vowed to push for theratification of the Vietnam-EU free trade deal.

A celebration was also held in Algiers, Algeriaon September 4 to mark National Day of Vietnam with senior officials fromAlgeria and other foreign diplomats in attendance.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador toAlgeria Pham Quoc Tru recalled the historic moment when President Ho Chi Minhdeclared Vietnam’s independence on September 2, 1945. 

Tru said that 2017 also marks the 55thanniversary of Vietnam-Algeria diplomatic ties, adding that their relations havebeen nurtured by long-standing support for each other.

He pledged to do his utmost to foster relationsbetween the two countries. -VNA