Around £5,000 (VND170 million) was raised for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims at a meeting organized by British Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Vietnamese embassy on June 18. At the meeting, Ambassador Vu Quang Minh reviewed important recent events in Vietnam-UK relations, including National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung’s visit to the UK last December and Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs William Hague’s visit to Vietnam in April, 2012. The diplomat said this meeting was an important event that received great support from the MPs, including Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and leader of the Labor Party, Ed Miliband, who sent gifts for auction sales. Minister of State Jeremy Browne spoke highly of the organizers’ objective and noted that Secretary Hague’s visit to Vietnam was within the framework of the strategic dialogue between the two countries to strengthen cooperation in all fields. He said that he hopes UK businesses will find many investment opportunities in Vietnam. MP George Howarth, President of the UK-Vietnam Parliamentarians Group, said the meeting aimed to raise funds for patients at the Danang Cancer Hospital and Tu Du Hospital, as well as AO victims in Hoa Binh (Peace) Village. (vov.vn June 19)
