At the following reception, Ambassador Hau conveyed greetings from the Vietnamese Party, State and Government leaders to President Nathan and other leaders of Singapore.

He expressed his honour to assume the role and affirmed that he would do his utmost to contribute to further strengthening the cooperative ties and friendship between the two countries.

For his part, President Nathan spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic development, as well as the country’s successful chairmanship of ASEAN in 2010, that he said helped to not only heighten its position but also increase solidarity and cooperation among the bloc.

He noted with pleasure the development in the relationship between Vietnam and Singapore through exchange of high-level visits and comprehensive cooperative programmes.

Singapore will make every effort to boost these fine relations, he said.