On the occasion of the 54th Anniversary of the Independence Day and the 24th Anniversary of the Liberation of the State of Kuwait, the Consulate General of the State of Kuwait in Ho Chi Minh City organized a reception on 26 February 2015 at 06.30 pm at the White Palace Convention Center.

Mr. Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City attended and delivered a speech at the reception. Other distinguished guests include leaders and representatives of cities and provinces in the south, diplomats from the Consular Corps, entrepreneurs, Kuwaiti expatriates, etc.

In his speech, H.E. Mr. Omar Al-Qenaei, Consul General said: “The State of Kuwait and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1976 and the bilateral relations have been unceasingly developed since then, evidenced by a series of significant events. Particularly, it is Kuwait where Vietnam established its first embassy in the Gulf Region in 2003. He added: “This year’s celebrations are very special because they came after an important event; that is His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait has been recognized as a great “Humanitarian Leader” of the world by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In the past two years, Kuwait has donated hundreds of millions of dollars for humanitarian operations, not only in the Middle East, but also in Africa and Asia. Kuwait’s leadership in funding has saved tens of thousands of lives.”

The Consul General again invited Vietnamese companies to make investments in the projects of the mega development plan passed by the Government of Kuwait in 2010. The plan comprises 1,100 projects totaling KD30.8 billion (USD107.8 billion), which features the creation of Silk City, a financial and commercial hub and free trade zone with 700,000 residents.

The Consul General informed that the Consulate has taken a very active and dynamic role in recent activities such as contributing to the organization of the annual charity bazaars of the Consular Club, successful organization of the seminar “Doing Business with Kuwait Market”, and sponsoring heart surgery costs for poor patients. 

In his remarks, Mr. Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City said “We commend all the contributions from the Consulate General of the State of Kuwait, particularly the success of the seminar “Doing Business with Kuwait Market” initiated by the Consulate General last December. This is an important step to bring Vietnamese businesses and investors closer to the potential Kuwait market.”

The Vice Chairman also said: “The establishment of the first Arabian Studies discipline at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities with the active support from the Consulate General marks a milestone in Arabian culture training and research in Ho Chi Minh City.”

Below are some photos at the reception: