Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Vietnam Union ofFriendship Organisations, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga handed over theFriendship Order, presented by State President Nguyen Phu Trong, to the Finland- Vietnam Friendship Association (FVFA) at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 6.

In her speech, Nga said the honour is to recognise the FVFA’sactive contributions to strengthening solidarity, friendship and cooperationbetween the two peoples. Founded in 1971, the association has stood side byside with the Vietnamese people in the struggle for national reunification andconstruction and defence over the past five decades, she said.

The FVFA has offered support to the Vietnamese people via humanitarianand charity projects, such as the one on cooperation with Vietnamese women insix communes of Hoa Binh province and Hanoi during the 1996-2003 period, and anotheron credit for women in four communes of Son La province from 2001-2007.

In Finland, the FVFA regularly holds fund-raising activitiesin support of Vietnam, seminars popularising the country, its culture andpeople, as well as offers consultations to Finnish individuals, organisationsand businesses that want to explore cooperation opportunities with Vietnamesepartners.

Nga expressed her belief that the FVFA will continue servingas a bridge linking Finnish and Vietnamese peoples, and partnering with the Vietnamesepeople in national development process.

FVFA President Mauri Raveala, for his part, affirmed thebasic task of the association of introducing Vietnam’s culture to Finnishpeople and assisting the Vietnamese people via charity projects for the poor.

He also pledged that the FVFA will continue making positivecontributions to promoting friendship between the two countries in the time tocome./.