The Ambassador of Vietnam to India Pham Sanh Chau on Friday remembered the city's role when Vietnam was fighting against American imperialism in the 1960s.
'Amar naam, Tomar naam, Vietnam, Vietnam' (Vietnam is my name, Vietnam is your name) was the rallying cry which had rent the air in the city's streets during the tumultuous time and the slogan was on everybody's lips.
"Vietnam has a special connection with the people of India, particularly Kolkata, who had helped the Vietnamese people to beat all the major powers who came to invade Vietnam," the ambassador said adding there is need to strengthen the ties.
"The voice of humanity was heard from the city when Vietnam was fighting American imperialism ... Like other places across the world, the people of this metropolis supported the legitimate cause of the Vietnamese people" he said at the Merchant Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Referring to the economy of Vietnam, the envoy said that it is seeing stable growth, stable exchange rate, low inflation rate and comfortable foreign exchange reserves.
Poverty levels in Vietnam had been brought down from 63 per cent 30 years ago to just five per cent now.
More From This Section
"Vietnam is also politically stable and culturally diversified", he said.
The ambassador said that the Vietnam embassy has organised fora in eight states across the country to identify areas for further cooperation in future.
Private carrier Indigo had already started direct flights from Kolkata to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnamese airline Vietjet would start similar connections from New Delhi from December, Chau added.