Delegates said that in the next five years until 2014, the association should expand its relations with Belgium’s friendship societies, universities, research centres and businesses as well as overseas Vietnamese organisations.

They said that large numbers of Vietnamese students in Belgium and Belgian post-graduates in Vietnam play an important role in promoting people-to-people diplomacy, helping to bridge the two nations.

According to the delegates, the association will encourage Belgium’s non-governmental organisations to invest in poverty reduction, cultural-education and scientific-technological development projects in Vietnam.

The congress elected Vu Duc Dam, chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee, president of the association for the 2009-2014 term.