Vu Mao is the former head of the Vietnam National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations and the National Assembly’s Office and Vu Khac Lien is the former Deputy Minister of Culture and Information (currently the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and also former Deputy Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnamese-Japanese cultural exchange association.

Addressing the presentation ceremony, the Japanese diplomat said his country appreciates the contributions the two former Vietnamese officials made in developing the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Vu Mao is among those who helped create effective exchanges between parliamentarians from both countries, the ambassador said, adding that Vu Khac Lien has created numerous cultural exchange programmes between Japan and Vietnam over the years.

The two former Vietnamese officials thanked the Japanese emperor, government and people for their recognition and gratitude.