Mr Dung made this statement at a ceremony held in the southern hub on February 2 to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The event was attended by the Czech Ambassador to Vietnam, Michal Kral, and members of the Vietnamese community who have studied or worked in the Czech Republic.

In his speech, Mr Dung expressed the Vietnamese people’s sincere gratitude to the former Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic, for its wholehearted assistance in a wide variety of fields, from training and health care to helping poor and handicapped children and development aid.

The Czech Republic has frequently participated in international donor conferences for Vietnam and has continuously provided official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam longer than any other East European country, he added.

The Vietnamese diplomat praised the Czech Republic for putting Vietnam into its 2010 priority list of 12 nations for economic diplomacy. He expressed his hope that given this favourable context, the ties between HCM City and the Czech City of Brno will be tightened, yielding practical results.

Meanwhile, Czech Honourary Consul in HCM City Ngo Hong Chuyen highlighted the deep roots of the bilateral ties. “The Czech Republic has become the second homeland for tens of thousands of Vietnamese citizens – who have been serving as a link and catalyst for this fine relationship,” he said.

Czechtrade, an agency for promoting trade, was set up in HCM City and has become an important centre for information on economics, trade and investment for the two countries’ business communities.

The Czech Republic has invested some US$35 million in Vietnam, with a focus on manufacturing crystal glass, beer, electrical devices, and electronics. Bilateral trade revenues surged in 2009 to more than US$365 million.