Vietnamese Community Celebrates Nat`l Day

Jakarta - Members of the Vietnamese community living in Indonesia gathered Tuesday at their embassy in Jakarta to celebrate the country`s 64th National Day, with drinks and a traditional dinner hosted by Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Nguyen Huu Dzung.

Vietnam declared its independence following Japan`s surrender to the Allied forces on Sept. 2, 1945 - only weeks after Indonesia declared its own independence - making it among the first democratic republics in Southeast Asia.

"We are very proud of being one of the first democratic republics in Southeast Asia," the ambassador said.

"Indonesia and Vietnam share a history of long struggles for independence."

While the Vietnamese diaspora is about 4 million strong, their presence in Indonesia is surprisingly small, around 180.

"There is not a big community (here) but there are several (Vietnamese) economic experts and businessmen in Indonesia whose contributions we value very much," the ambassador said, adding the embassy was gearing up to make next year`s 65th National Day celebration much grander. Kanupriya Kapoor

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
Photo: http://www.nguyenhtuan.com

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