Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his spouse met with staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives from the Vietnamese community in Romania. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

BUCHAREST – Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his spouse on Saturday met with staff members of the Vietnamese embassy and representatives from the Vietnamese community in Romania in Bucharest as part of his official visit to the European country.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, the visit is the first delegation exchange at the prime ministerial level between the two countries in five years, taking place in the context of good development of the over-70-year-old Việt Nam - Romania traditional ties and cooperation.

The Vietnamese community in Romania numbers more than 600. They are united and help each other to stabilise their lives and look towards the homeland, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Romania Đỗ Đức Thành.

The embassy and the community always pay attention to educating the young generation and maintaining the teaching and learning of Vietnamese language, he added.

During the meeting, PM Chính conveyed the greetings of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to the Vietnamese community in Romania and across Europe.

He recalled major milestones in Việt Nam - Romania relations, including the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1950, the visit of late President Hồ Chí Minh to Romania in 1957, as well as Romania’s provision of 300,000 doses of vaccines and medical equipment to Việt Nam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PM affirmed the Party and State's attention to the Vietnamese community abroad, saying that in 2023 and early 2024, a number of policies regarding overseas Vietnamese have been concretised in laws.

The Party and State pay attention to creating conditions for overseas Vietnamese to preserve and promote cultural identity, as well as the teaching and learning of Vietnamese language, he said.

The PM briefed the participants on Việt Nam’s socio-economic situation, affirming the important and positive contributions of the Vietnamese community abroad to the country's achievements.

He asked the Vietnamese Embassy in Romania to continue to carry out its work on overseas Vietnamese affairs.

He called on Vietnamese in Romania to continue to promote the image of Việt Nam and its people, contribute to the traditional friendship between the two countries, to build a united and strong community, and make practical contributions to Việt Nam’s national construction and development. VNS