Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vũ Hồng Nam presents the third-class Labour Order of Việt Nam to former Special Ambassador for Việt Nam-Japan Sugi Ryotaro. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

TOKYO — Former Special Ambassador for Việt Nam-Japan Sugi Ryotaro has been honoured with the third-class Labour Order of Việt Nam for his enormous contributions to the relations between the two countries over the past 30 years.

On behalf of the President of Việt Nam, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vũ Hồng Nam presented the order to Sugi Ryotaro at a ceremony in Tokyo on Wednesday.

In his speech, Nam highlighted Sugi Ryotaro’s dedication to Việt Nam-Japan relations, especially in culture, over the past three decades.

He said when Việt Nam was still facing hardship, Sugi Ryotaro took the lead in introducing Japanese culture, music and arts to the Southeast Asian nation to bring the two peoples closer together, thus creating a foundation for today's extensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

The diplomat also highlighted Việt Nam’s appreciation of his huge contributions to the country, as well as Việt Nam-Japan connections.

In their congratulations, former Politburo member and former Minister of Public Security of Việt Nam Lê Hồng Anh and Secretary General of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party Toshihiro Nikai also highly valued Sugi Ryotaro’s devotion to the two countries’ friendship. They expressed their hope that this relationship will keep flourishing in the future.

Addressing the event, Sugi Ryotaro recalled his memories of Việt Nam, including his meeting with then Party General Secretary Đỗ Mười in the early 1990s. At that time, he told the Vietnamese leader that the two countries’ ties in both economy and politics remained underdeveloped, so they should use culture to make a breakthrough for this relationship.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh sent congratulations to Sugi Ryotaro. — VNS