(VOVworld) – Vietnam will never forget the support of Czech people during Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and its construction and development effort, said President Truong Tan Sang at a meeting in Prague Tuesday with Czech professors and experts. He said:  "The former Czechoslovakia recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and established diplomatic relations with us during Vietnam’s resistance war against French colonialists 65 years ago. During that difficult period, Czechoslovakia helped us build several major constructions including the Vietnamese-Czechoslovakian Friendship Hospital, cultural centers, and several other economic facilities. We are eternally grateful for Czech support over the past decades."

President Truong Tan Sang visits Karlovy Vary city (Photo: VNA)

Earlier, President Sang attended the opening ceremony of the 2015 Vietnam Cultural Week marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Czech Republic. He called for increased art exchanges to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.

President Truong Tan Sang attended a ceremony to inaugurate a Vietnam News Agency bureau in Prague (Photo: VNA)

Also on Tuesday, President Truong Tan Sang attended a ceremony to inaugurate a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) bureau in Prague. He said he hopes the bureau will help VNA provide its audience with up-to-date information about Czech Republic and relations between two countries, while keeping Vietnamese living in Czech Republic updated on Vietnam’s Party and State policies regarding overseas Vietnamese.