50th anniversary of Paris Peace Accords marked in Hungary
The Vietnamese Embassy and the liaison board of Vietnamese war veterans in Hungary co-organised a ceremony on December 20 to mark 50 years of the signing of the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) (January 27, 1973) and the 78th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) (December 22, 1944).
Among the guests were Hungarian war veterans and officials who once joined the International Commission for Control and Supervision (ICCS), also known as the four-party commission, which was tasked with monitoring the enforcement of the terms of the agreement.
The Paris Agreement was a result of the arduous and longest struggle of the Vietnamese diplomatic sector, with 202 open joint meetings, in four years, eight months and 14 days (from May 13, 1968 to January 27, 1973).
On behalf of the Vietnamese State, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Thao noted that between January 26, 1973, and May 9, 1975, Hungary sent 636 military and civilian personnel, border guards and diplomats to Vietnam for peacekeeping operations, of whom two laid down their lives while on duty in April 1973.
She also highlighted the establishment of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Association in 1989 with the participation of war veterans and officials, saying it has worked as a bridge between the two countries.
President of the association Botz Laszlo, who had joined the four-party commission, expressed his admiration for VPA soldiers for their enduring spirit during the struggle for national liberation.
The participants also reviewed the development of the VPA over the past 78 years and its contributions to national construction and defence.