Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Le Cong Phung said he was delighted at the enthusiasm of the Vietnamese students in Washington DC.

“This is a very important event for community work,” he said, adding that the association was set up in compliance with Vietnamese and US law.

The ambassador hopes it will be a model for the establishment of similar associations in other regions of the US, leading to the foundation of a general society.

The chairperson of the association’s provisional executive board, Nguyen Thi Chi, who is also working for the World Bank in the US, said the organisation is aimed at helping its members in their work and study.

Its forum on the Facebook social networking website will provide members with opportunities to shares their ideas, Chi said.

According to its vice-chairman Pham Manh Cuong, at least 60 people registered for membership at the opening ceremony.

Cuong added that in 2010, the association will have various activities like a cooking contest in February, football and tennis tournaments in the summer and a concert and fashion gala on the occasion of 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.

Apart from sporting and cultural activities, the association has organised some charity activities to help disadvantaged people in the homeland.