A decade of friendship and support from South Africa

Madame Do Thi Kim Lien at the 10th anniversary of the Honorary Consulate of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City

10 years working as honorary consul, Do Thi Kim Lien has made impressive achievements in promoting friendly relations between Vietnam and South Africa. Since 2009, the Honorary Consular Office of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City has consulted and supported hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese applying for a visa to South Africa, as well as South African citizens living in Vietnam to complete procedures and adopt to life in Vietnam.

In addition, the honorary consular office organised hundreds of workshops to promote economic, commercial, and tourism relations as well as welcomed dozens of delegations and enterprises from South Africa to visit and research the Vietnamese market, and vice versa.

Throughout these 10 years, Do Thi Kim Lien and the Honorary Consular Office of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City have spent hundreds of billions of dong on organising more than a hundred charity activities to support individuals, schools, and organisations. Notable events include Nha Sach Don Tet (clean house to welcome Tet – running continuously since 2014), Nelson Mandela Day, Tiep Suc Den Truong (Encouraging Children to Go to School), and Xuan Noi Dao Xa (Spring in the Far Island).

These activities show Lien’s relentless dedication to give a secure future and hope to tens of thousands of children in the highlands, building them beautiful schools for the best learning. She herself overcame challenging roads to bring warm clothes and love to the children. Besides, thousands of elderly people have received financial contributionsfrom Lien and more than 100 thousand students have been inspired by her to engage in volunteering and building a better community.

Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro, South African Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Vietnam, shared, "Madam Do Thi Kim Lien is the ambassador of the South African in Vietnam and vice versa with her contributions to promoting co-operative relations between the Republic of South Africa and Vietnam through the initiation and organisation of many exchange programmes, supporting activities, as well as connecting and promoting trade between the two countries during the past 10 years.”

On this occasion, the Honorary Consular Office of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City entered into a co-operation with the LIAN automatic insurance application to sponsor 30 lonely old people, homeless children, and talented students in difficult circumstances.

In addition, the Honorary Consular Office of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City will also hold a friendly golf tournament on April 20 in Hanoi with the participation of 30 players to promote diplomatic and trade relations between the consular office as well as domestic and foreign partners.