Austria-Vietnam Association marks 50 years of enduring friendship

The event drew former Austrian ambassadors to Vietnam, scholars, diplomats, business representatives, social organizations, associations, and the Vietnamese community in Austria.

Speaking at the event on October 20, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang emphasized the significance of the 50th anniversary of the Austria-Vietnam Association and praised its enduring contributions to bilateral friendship.

The Ambassador congratulated the association on standing alongside the Vietnamese people since its establishment in 1976 through efforts to counter the embargo and blockade, promote humanitarian projects, heal war wounds, and support Agent Orange victims and orphans in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

Generations of Austrian friends have dedicated themselves to Vietnam, notably Georges Wachter (a European member of the Viet Minh who adopted the Vietnamese name Ho Chi Tho), who lived and worked for 10 years fighting relapsing fever in Vietnam and was one of the few foreigners to be a close friend of President Ho Chi Minh.

As a social organization, the association has created spaces for exchange, dialogue, and connection among people, experts, businesses, and organizations from Vietnam and Austria. These activities help bring bilateral relations closer to social life, complementing state-to-state relations and deepening the bond between the two nations’ people.

The Ambassador affirmed that people-to-people diplomacy plays a special role in building trust, enhancing understanding, and creating a long-term social foundation for cooperation between Vietnam and Austria, especially as both nations  prepare to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Professor Alfred Gerstl, President of the Austria-Vietnam Association, reviewed the association's 50-year journey of formation and development as well as its prominent activities, and expressed gratitude to the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for bestowing the noble Friendship Order on Peter Jankowitsch, Honorary President of the association and former Austrian Foreign Minister, and on the Austria-Vietnam Association as a collective.

Markus Hass, Head of the Asia-Pacific region at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ), praised the dynamic development and high potential of the Vietnamese market, which is attracting a new wave of high-quality and high-tech investments from Austrian businesses, and laid stress on three focuses for the future: trust, trade, and technology.

A highlight of the seminar was specific and vivid stories reflecting the depth and diversity of Vietnam-Austria relations through sharing by businesses, non-governmental organizations, and the young Vietnamese generation in Austria. The stories highlighted positive feelings and impressions of Vietnam's land and people, the great potential and positive prospects of Vietnam's economy, and affirmed commitments and plans for cooperation, support, and connection with Vietnamese partners for friendship, development, and prosperity.

After 50 years of operation, the Austria-Vietnam Association has affirmed its role as an important social and people-to-people bridge between the two countries. The association's contributions are measured not only by the number of events or projects, but also by built relationships, enhanced understanding, and trust cultivated across generations.

In the coming period, the association is expected to coordinate closely with the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association, continue expanding its membership, and actively connect social organizations, intellectuals, businesses, youth, and the Vietnamese community in Austria, thereby contributing to making bilateral relations increasingly deep, substantive, and sustainable.

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