As we review the first half of the year and recent events in Vietnam, it is probably an appropriate moment to send an update to the Network.
As I write this, we have just heard of the passing of Communist Party General Secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong. He had held the position for 13 years and also served as President and Chairman of the National Assembly, so he was greatly respected as one of the country’s longest-serving leaders. The Network has passed its condolences to the Vietnamese Embassy and our counterpart organisations, VUFO and VUFA. You may have seen our public message on social media here – LINK.
General Secretary Trong’s period in leadership saw rapid economic growth in Vietnam and a strengthening of the bilateral relationship with the UK. He was the first General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party to visit the UK in 2013 and we were honoured that during that historic visit he was available to witness the official launch of the Vietnam UK Network at the Embassy of Vietnam in London on 22 January 2013.
The end of an era in Vietnam coincides with the beginning of an era for the UK. The General election has brought a new government to power and we now have a new set of ministers in place with David Lammy taking over as Foreign Secretary and Jonathan Reynolds at the Dept for Business and Trade. The former Shadow Minister for Asia, Catherine West, is also part of the ministerial team at the FCDO. We had previously asked her to speak at the Network’s House of Lords dinner, but this was not possible during the pre-election period. However, now that she has been confirmed in her new role, we hope to have a meeting with her shortly, as well as engaging with her new colleagues in government.
The last few months have also seen a change at the Vietnamese Embassy. In June, Ambassador Long returned to Hanoi to take up the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. Before he departed, the Network held a farewell dinner to thank him for his tremendous contribution to advancing UK-Vietnam relations during his three-year tenure and we look forward to meeting up with him again in his new trade role.
Ambassador Long’s departure led to a short period when Dr Thu ably stepped up as Chargée d’Affaires at the Embassy before Ambassador Do Minh Hung arrived in July. We are looking forward to an introductory meeting with the new Ambassador very shortly and look forward to hearing about his plans.
On the UK side, Emily Hamblin also finished her posting as Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City and Director of Trade for Vietnam earlier this month. Her successor Alexandra (Alex) Smith has already taken up her post at the Consulate General.
With regard to the administration of the Network, we have also made some adjustments. We are very pleased to note that Ben Chapman, the original Chair of the Network, will now be recognised with the fitting title of Founding President. At the last Executive Committee meeting, it was also decided that we would invite both the Vietnamese Ambassador in London and the British Ambassador in Hanoi to be Honorary Presidents of the Network.
Of course, the highlight of the Network’s recent activities was the annual dinner at the House of Lords, graciously hosted by Lord Dholakia. It took place on 18 June and was once again over-subscribed, confirming the continuing popularity of the event. You will be able to see some of the photos of the evening here.
Unfortunately, I was forced to miss the dinner this year due to a conflicting work commitment abroad, but I would like to add my thanks to Vice Chair, Matt Jackson, Jakki Lydall, and the rest of the team for managing the event so well. We were privileged to have two tremendous guest speakers on the evening – Vietnamese Chargée d’Affaires, Dr Thu, and UK Ambassador, Iain Frew – who both did an excellent job. We are already beginning the preparations for next year’s event, but we have set a high bar for 2025.
We continue to engage with our friends and contacts across several charities and NGOs based in Vietnam. Thanks to our Vice Chair, Bao Ha Pham, we were pleased to receive the Chair and CEO of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation – Lesley Bleakley and Do Duy Vi – for an update on their valuable work. We also attended the fun run at Ludgrove School, which helped raise fund for Blue Dragon. Bao Ha also attended the AGM of the Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam Laos and Cambodia on 11 June on behalf of the Network. The aim of the charity is to promote good health and relieve sickness by providing aid, supplies and equipment to health-related organisations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. We remain in close touch with many other organisations, of course, but I was particularly pleased to be able to visit the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation when I was in Ho Chi Minh City in May.
Finally, we aim to organise further activities in the autumn for the wider Network, which will be a mixture of virtual and in-person events. Jakki will send out details in due course once we have confirmation. However, I’m pleased to say that you can already ‘Save the Date’ for the end of year meeting and drinks reception, which will be kindly hosted by Arup at their London HQ on 10 December. If there are any specific suggestions for further activities in the meantime, do let us know.
In the meantime, very best wishes from me on behalf of the Network and I’m sure that we all look forward to welcoming a new era of even closer cooperation and collaboration between our two countries in the months ahead.
Mark Kent
Chair, Vietnam UK Network