Big occasion: Folk dancers from Peru perform at the Peruvian Night held in downtown Ha Noi on April 10-12, 2014 to celebrate 20th anniversary of Peru-Viet Nam diplomatic relations. — Photo coutersy of Peruvian Embassy

To mark the National Day of the Republic of Peru on July 28, Luis Tsuboyama, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Peru wrote to Viet Nam News.

On July 28, the Na-tional Day of the Re-public of Peru, we not only celebrate our nation's 193rd anniversary of independence, but also the achievements that Peru and Viet Nam have made in politics, diplomacy, the economy, and culture in the last 20 years.

On the political side, one of the priorities in Peru's foreign policy is to strengthen the relationships with nations in the Asia-Pacific region. This was realised in the case of Viet Nam by the opening of a permanent embassy last August with a new office in the heart of Ha Noi, near the Opera House. We believe that this diplomatic representation will play an important role in deepening the Peru-Viet Nam relationship in coming years. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Peru-Viet Nam establishment of diplomatic relations.

Deeper and wider integration in the Asia Pacific region remains important to Peru. This is exemplified by our initiative in forming the Pacific Alliance in which there are four core members together with 32 observers. A conference on the Pacific Alliance was held in Ha Noi last April with the support of the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences. It discussed the opportunities and challenges available in the Asia Pacific region for their members.

In the trading sphere, despite of the fact that trade volumes between Peru and Viet Nam have remained small, bilateral turnover has increased dramatically from US$40 million in 2005 to nearly $196.7 million in 2012. Viet Nam's main exports include wood and furniture, apparel, footwear, rubber and plastics, while Peru's consist of fishmeal, fish-oil, fruits and vegetables, and acrylic fiber.

Whilst, two giants in the field of energy and telecommunication, PetroVietnam and Viettel, have been carrying out and expanding their investments in Peru, a beverage company in Binh Duong marked the first Peruvian investment in Viet Nam. We are happy to announce that another Peruvian company, Aqua Expeditions, will soon launch a luxury cruise service on the Mekong River, starting from HCM City. On the cultural side, in April we hosted a Peruvian night Noche Peruana in the heart of Ha Noi. It featured a renowned Peruvian chef and a dancing group from Peru. During the three-day event, we introduced typical Peruvian dishes such as ceviche, causa, quinua, lomo saltado, aji de gallina, and of course the preparation of the pisco sour for the Vietnamese connoiseurs. A Peruvian dancing group also participated at the Hue Festival.

To heighten the awareness of young Vietnamese, we organised a couple of talks with students in Ha Noi and HCM City with the collaboration of Ha Noi University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, respectively. By doing this, the history, culture, and images of Peru have been passed on to students who will play a critical role in contributing to future relations.

The President of the Republic of Peru will pay an official visit to Viet Nam in the upcoming August to reaffirm his commitment to a strong bilateral relationship. In Viet Nam, we are planning to continue to promote cultural exchanges via the replication of the successful Peruvian night in HCM City, and the organisation of a Peruvian Film Festival in Ha Noi in November.

For those trying to get in touch with us, we have started to use Facebook and a website displayed in Vietnamese and Spanish. This led to a fourfold increase in the number of people contacting us in just one month (from June to July, 2014).

Launching an essay contest about Peru.

To celebrate the National Day of Peru, the Embassy will launch an essay contest "Dia Nacional del Peru / National Day of Peru" for the Vietnamese public, with a focus on Vietnamese students. For detailed information, follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EmbassyofPeruinVietnam; or subscribe on http://www.peruembassy.vn

Felices Fiesta Patrias a todos! — VNS