The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) hosted a gathering in Hanoi on April 21 for US activists to express its gratitude for their support to Viet Nam during the fight for national reunification.

The 16-member US delegation was led by John McAuliff, Executive Director of the US Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FRD), who is visiting Viet Nam from April 19 to May 1.

A similar event in Ho Chi Minh City in 2013

Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam-US Friendship Association Bui The Giang welcomed the visit, which coincided with activities marking the 40th anniversary of South Viet Nam’s liberation and national reunification.

He thanked the US left wing movement for friendship, solidarity and support to Viet Nam in the past and expressed his delight at the FRD’s continuation of acting as a bridge linking the two peoples.

Giang said he hopes the US side will further support his country in dealing with the aftermath of the war and undertaking humanitarian activities supporting the victims.

McAuliff said after the countries normalised their relations 20 years ago, the FRD has supported Viet Nam in negotiating and signing the bilateral trade agreement and entering the World Trade Organisation.

His visit aims to learn about contemporary Viet Nam, its ‘doi moi’ (renewal) efforts and foreign policies, and its response to the remnants of the war. His delegation will also meet with Vietnamese agencies and organisations to discuss cooperation, and attend activities in Ho Chi Minh City celebrating 40 years of peace.

At the gathering, participants looked back on Viet Nam’s past struggles and the US activists’ assistance to the country.

The anti-war movement in the US in the 1960s and 1970s played a vital role in demanding the US administration negotiate and sign the Paris Accord on January 27, 1973, which created an important prerequisite for the South’s complete liberation and national reunification on April 30, 1975.

(Source: VNA)