The Honorary Consulate of Vietnam is the 25th diplomatic institution accredited in Odessa. The diplomatic community of the city is represented by 35 entities, if we consider also the international missions based in Odessa and the foreign cultural institutions.
The Honorary Consulate, headed by the prestigious Odessa surgeon Nguyen Van Hanh, is located in the center of Vietnamese life in Odessa: the first floor of the Lotus Village, on Grushevsky Street. The office space was funded by Odessa entrepreneurs, immigrants from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Ukraine and Moldova, Mr. Nguyen Hoan Thanh, attended the ceremony of cutting the red ribbon. He said that the Odessa office is the first Honorary Consulate of Vietnam in Ukraine and his embassy has high expectations for its establishment.
The diplomat Serhiy Orlov, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Odessa, recalled that the position of an honorary consul means a double responsibility. On one hand, an honorary consul is a citizen of Ukraine, on the other hand, he represents the interests of another State and is obliged to take care of its citizens. Deputy Mayor of Odessa Oleg Bryndak expressed confidence that Nguyen Van Hanh, a renowned doctor and a wonderful person, will become the patron of Vietnamese citizens and Vietnamese diaspora in Odessa.
Nguyen Van Hanh is a Honoured Doctor of Ukraine, Head of the Pulmonary Surgical Department of the Odessa Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary. He is a well-known person in the city, highly respected in medical circles and one of the leaders of Odessa's Vietnamese community. He was the best candidate who could represent the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Odessa.
