Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang visits the Vietnamese community in Cyprus

Attending the meeting were Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy and Cyprus Duong Hai Hung, Mr. George Christofides, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Cyprus and nearly 40 representatives of Vietnamese associations.

Thứ trưởng Bộ Ngoại giao Lê Thị Thu Hằng thăm cộng đồng người Việt tại Cyprus

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang speaks at the meeting with the community.

Informing the working delegation, Ambassador Duong Hai Hung assessed that the community has a spirit of solidarity, strives to integrate, contributes to the economic and social life of the locality and is recognized and highly appreciated by the Cyprus government.

In addition, over the past time, the community has become increasingly connected with the country, organizing many activities to promote Vietnamese culture, volunteering, and responding to movements launched by the country. For example, in 2024, the Vietnamese community in Cyprus donated 20,000 Euros to help compatriots in the country overcome the consequences of Typhoon Yagi .

On behalf of the community, Mr. Nguyen Duc Manh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnamese community in Cyprus, Ms. Pham Thi Huong Giang, Vice Chairman and Ms. Phung Thi Quyen, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Workers in Cyprus reported on the activities of the associations in recent times.

The community began to form around 2013 and currently has about 6,000 people living mainly in big cities such as Nicosia, Limassol, Paros...

Vietnamese organizations such as the Community Management Board, Charity Board, Culture - Arts Board, Hai Duong Association, Vietnamese Workers Community Association in Cyprus... have been established and actively operate with the goal of connecting and supporting people in difficult circumstances, while spreading Vietnamese cultural identity, becoming a bridge between people and the Embassy as well as local authorities.

The people affirmed that although they are far away, they always follow the situation in the country and are proud of the country's position, and at the same time expressed their gratitude for the care and concern of the Party and State for their compatriots abroad.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang affirmed that the visit took place on the occasion of Vietnam and Cyprus celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1975-2025), and was also the first time a delegation had done community work in an area with an increasing number of Vietnamese people in just a few years.

The Deputy Minister expressed the country's sentiments towards the people on the occasion of the country's major holidays, especially the recent 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2, praising the people's will and efforts to improve their lives to integrate well and increasingly affirm their role in Cypriot society.

With the virtues of diligence, hard work and acumen, many Vietnamese people in Cyprus have overcome many challenges and now have an increasingly stable and successful life. The Deputy Minister hopes that people will continue to comply with local laws, focus on doing business to improve their lives, uphold the spirit of mutual love, promote solidarity to build an increasingly strong and developing community, have a more solid position in local social life, contributing to building a good image of the country and people of Vietnam with international friends.

Emphasizing the role of preserving cultural traditions and the Vietnamese language for future generations, the Deputy Minister said that this needs to start from within each family to maintain the connection with family and homeland in Vietnam.

On this occasion, the Deputy Minister informed the people about Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development and international integration, and affirmed that the Party and Government always pay attention to the legitimate rights and interests of the people and have increasingly favorable policies to help them stay with the country.

The Deputy Minister invited overseas Vietnamese to return to the country to attend events organized by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese such as the Spring Homeland program, the overseas Vietnamese delegation returning to attend the Hung King's death anniversary, the delegation visiting the soldiers and people of Truong Sa island district, the Summer Camp for overseas Vietnamese youth, and the skills training class for Vietnamese language teachers...

The Deputy Minister presented Vietnamese language teaching materials, Vietnamese history and culture books and Vietnamese flags to the people to use in cultural promotion activities of the community.

Previously, also within the framework of the working trip, the Deputy Minister visited and worked at the headquarters of the Honorary Consulate of Vietnam in Cyprus.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang took a souvenir photo with the community.

In a warm and sincere atmosphere, Mr. George Christofides, Honorary Consul, expressed his honor to welcome the delegation led by Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang.

He said that since being appointed as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in 2012, he has always strived to act as a bridge between the community and the local government, supporting legal issues, as well as accompanying people in activities to promote community culture and closely coordinating with the Embassy to protect the legitimate rights of workers.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang expressed her appreciation for the love, sincerity and devotion to Vietnam of Mr. George Christofides and his wife.

As the Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Cyprus, and also a close friend of Vietnam, Mr. George Christofides has had many initiatives and activities contributing to the development of the friendly relations between the two countries in a more substantial and effective manner.

Especially for the Vietnamese community in Cyprus, Mr. Christofides always accompanies them in community activities, giving them dedicated and effective attention and support, and is highly appreciated by them.

The delegation visited a number of typical overseas Vietnamese businesses in Cyprus. Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang highly appreciated the dynamism and acumen of the overseas Vietnamese in doing business, and encouraged them to actively promote, consume and distribute Vietnamese goods abroad.

Some highlights from the visit: