The Vietnamese Embassy and the DefenceAttache office in US on December 17 held a reception to celebrate the65th anniversary of the Vietnamese People’s Army Day (Dec. 22).

Among the participants at the event were the ambassadors andrepresentatives from foreign embassies in Washington and the USDepartment of Defense.

Speaking at the reception, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Le CongPhung spoke on the construction and development of the VietnamesePeople's Army (VPA) over the past 65 years.

During the period, the VPA has accomplished duties that the Party,State and the people assigned to them including to protect the nationalindependence, unification, sovereignty and territorial integrity, andimprove Vietnam’s position and prestige in the region and the world.

Ambassador Le Cong Phung said that Vietnam-US defence ties have seensteady growth, with bilateral political, security and defence dialogueheld in Hanoi in October 2008 and Washington DC in June 2009, helpingelevate the relations to a higher level.

The recent US visit by Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh was moreevidence of the developing defence relations between the two countries.

The Ambassador expressed his belief that in the spirit of mutual trust,understanding and respect, the friendly and cooperative defencerelations between Vietnam and the US will be further strengthened inthe interest of the two peoples and that of regional and internationalpeace, stability and prosperity.

Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense of the US, DerekMitchell, spoke highly of developments in the bilateral relationsbetween the US and Vietnam, including defence and security.

He said the relationship between the two countries has good prospectsbut the two sides need to keep constant care and attention to deal withthe war legacies, such as the Agent Orange or missing in action (MIS)issue, contributing to further strengthening relations between the USand Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia held a reception on Dec. 17 to mark the event.

Ambassador Bui Dinh Dinh highlighted the support that Russian people offered to Vietnam in national defence and building.

A meeting was also held in China to mark the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army Day on Dec. 18.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho affirmed that VPA’sefforts in the implementation of the Party and State’s policies havemade contributions to strengthening friendship and cooperation betweenVietnam and other countries, including China .

The diplomat wished the relationship between VPA and the ChinesePeople’s Liberation Army develop, contributing to buildingVietnam-China comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership./.