Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: VNA)

In an interview with the press on the Lunar New Year 2023, the Ambassador said "We are like-minded comrades and also very close brothers." He emphasized the profound meaning of the word "brother" because of the cultural similarities between the two countries. According to Xiong, Tet is a traditional festival of the Vietnamese people and the Chinese as well and the customs of the two peoples are similar, constituting the Oriental culture.

The Chinese Ambassador praised Vietnam's 2022 GDP growth rate of over 8% as the highest in the region and the world. He said Vietnam's economy is much attractive to foreign investors and foreign economic activities are favorable, with last year’s trade turnover of more than 700 billion USD.