Delegates attending the anniversary ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photos Vũ Hiệp

BERLIN — The Germany-Việt Nam Friendship Association celebrated its 50th founding anniversary in Düsseldorf on Saturday, marking five decades of efforts to promote solidarity, friendship, mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Consul General in Frankfurt am Main Lưu Xuân Đồng praised the association’s contributions over the past five decades.

Since its establishment in 1976, the association has sought to bring together organisations and individuals who support Việt Nam, strengthen solidarity and serve as a bridge between the two peoples.

He highlighted its cultural exchange activities to introduce Việt Nam and its people to German audiences.

The association has also carried out humanitarian programmes supporting Agent Orange victims, children with hearing impairments and disadvantaged students in remote areas through scholarships.

These meaningful activities have helped lay a solid foundation for the Việt Nam-Germany Strategic Partnership, he said.

Looking ahead, Đồng noted that Việt Nam is entering a new development era and expressed hope that the association would continue to serve as a bridge, not only by maintaining traditional cultural exchanges but also by expanding cooperation into emerging fields such as science, technology, innovation and green transition, while connecting young intellectuals from the two countries.

At the ceremony, head of a delegation from the Việt Nam-Germany Friendship Association Nguyễn Bích Ngọc handed over a congratulatory letter from former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng, President of the Việt Nam-Germany Friendship Association, to President of the German-Việt Nam Friendship Association Professor Dr. Günter Giesenfeld, the association’s leadership and members.

Vietnam-related works in German translation on display.

The letter recalled the solidarity shown by predecessor organisations in the 1960s and 1970s, when anti-war movements and campaigns supporting peace and Việt Nam’s just struggle were active in Germany. Since its official establishment in 1976, the association has made important contributions to friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Dũng praised Giesenfeld and generations of members for their longstanding dedication, expressing hope that the two friendship associations would strengthen coordination in people-to-people exchanges, culture, science and activities targeting young people.

In his speech, Giesenfeld reviewed the association’s history and development over the decades, stressing the need for friendship organisations to renew their methods of operation, shifting from solidarity based on support to equal partnerships that involve exchanging experience, sharing responsibility and seeking solutions to common global challenges.

He praised Việt Nam’s development achievements, particularly its efforts to combine economic growth with social progress, equity and people’s interests. He stressed that solidarity today should be based on respect, equality, sharing and partnership, alongside frank and constructive exchanges to strengthen mutual trust.

The ceremony also featured archival photographs and documentary footage compiled by Giesenfeld, tracing key milestones in Germany’s solidarity movement with Việt Nam. The programme also featured readings of Vietnamese poems translated into German by Giesenfeld, helping introduce Vietnamese literary and cultural values to local audiences. — VNA/VNS