Sydney (VNA) – The Embassy ofVietnam in Australia on June 12 hosted an event to promote Vietnam’s cultureand tourism in Australia and enhance exchanges between Vietnamese women and internationalfriends in the country.

The event, second of its kind, was part ofactivities of the Association of Spouses of Heads of the Missions (ASHOM) in thecapital city of Canberra, with the participation of ambassadors’ spouses andfemale diplomats of 40 nations.

The wife of Vietnamese Ambassador toAustralia, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, said the event helped boost mutualunderstanding, friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and countries acrossthe world.

She noted that Vietnam’s tourism made greatstride in 2018. The country was named among best Asian destinations for thefirst time last September, and won Asia's best golf destination for two consecutive years.

According to the Vietnam National Administrationof Tourism, Vietnam welcomed about 15.6 million foreign visitors in 2018. Thecountry has developed numerous tourism products, including cultural tourism,sea and eco-tourism, among others, she added.

A video clip featuring famous attractions andrecipes of Vietnamese dishes was shown to participants at the event, along withart performances staged by Vietnamese students in Australia.

A sub-programme introducing Vietnamesecuisine was held at the end of the event.-VNA