​In the general context of the world and the current situation of Vietnam, the development of friendly relations with countries around the world, especially ASEAN countries, has always been of great concern to our Party and State. Members of ASEAN countries are also the ones that have traditional relationships and investment cooperation with Vietnam in general and Dong Nai in particular, with the same common goal of establishing a zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality in Southeast Asia.

In the common flow of the region and the country, Dong Nai province in recent years has also been in harmony in promoting the implementation of economic, political, cultural and social goals of Vietnam. With the advantages of the location in the Southern key economic zone and high economic growth rate, Dong Nai has made many positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, contributing to improving the people's living standards, developing the local economy, promoting economic and educational cooperation with ASEAN member countries. In particular, it is expected that in 2021, the Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association of the province will be established and put into operation, which will contribute to expanding the friendship, cooperation and development relationship among Dong Nai province with its partners and and the people of ASEAN countries, enhancing the effectiveness of the province's people-to-people diplomacy in the coming time.

Provincial leaders attended the 25^th Anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN organized by the Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations

Dong Nai expands friendly cooperation with ASEAN countries

On the implementation of the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, openness, diversification and multilateralization of international relations, and proactive international integration with the motto "Viet Nam is willing to become a friend and reliable partner of all countries in the world community, striving for peace, independence and development.", over the years, Dong Nai has actively and actively expanded international cooperation relations with foreign partners, especially ASEAN member countries. Currently, there are 06 ASEAN countries that are interested in investing in Dong Nai province, including: Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia with 150 projects with a total registered capital of more than 5.32 billion USD, focusing on the following fields: real estate, infrastructure of industrial parks, industrial production. Dong Nai enterprises have exported goods to 09 countries in ASEAN with more than 50 different products, mainly textile fibers, footwear, textiles, machinery and equipment and spare parts and electronic components. The province's export turnover to ASEAN has increased every year. In addition, in recent years, Dong Nai enterprises have also imported many raw materials for industrial production and consumer goods from ASEAN countries.

Besides the important socio-economic achievements of the province, people-to-people diplomacy in building and developing relationships with ASEAN partners has also made remarkable progress. Since the establishment of the Provincial Union of  Friendship Organizations and member Friendship Associations between Vietnam and  ASEAN countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, many cultural and people-to-people exchanges with foreign representative agencies, FDI enterprises and partners of ASEAN countries are held regularly with a variety of contents. The friendly relationship between agencies and organizations of the province and foreign diplomatic missions in Ho Chi Minh City is maintained and developed on the basis of exchange, cooperation and mutual development. These activities are considered to be favorable bridges in building good relationships between the people of Dong Nai and the People of ASEAN countries, contributing to all levels, sectors, localities and the People, especially the young generation in the province to be fully and deeply aware of the meaning and importance of preservation, consolidation and development of relations with ASEAN countries, enhancing the understanding of the culture and people of countries in the ASEAN community about the People in the province and vice versa.

The establishment of the Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association of Dong Nai province

With the attention and direction of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee, one of the key tasks of Dong Nai province's people-to-people diplomacy in 2021 is to organize the Congress for the establishment of the Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association in the province. On the basis of launching the Mobilization Committee of the Vietnam – ASEAN Association in December of 2020 led by Mr. Mai Van Nhon - Former Deputy Head of the Industrial Zones Authority as Head of the Mobilization Committee; the Association's Mobilization Committee has actively taken steps of members to join the Association and carefully prepared the contents of the Congress. In the process of campaigning for the establishment and preparation of the Congress, the Association's Mobilization Committee has received the attention and support of agencies and Departments in the province, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, other partners, diplomatic missions of ASEAN countries in Ho Chi Minh City. Up to now, there have been nearly 200 individuals who used to study, work and those with good feelings for ASEAN countries have registered to join the Association, becoming a key force in building and developing the Association's organization for the coming time.

The Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association of the province will be the first multilateral Friendship Association and the 10^th Friendship Association of Dong Nai province operating in the field of people-to-people diplomacy, striving for the goal of peace and development, expansion for the solidarity, friendship, cooperation among the People of Vietnam and the People of countries in the region. Along with the advantages of economic cooperation and development of existing bilateral Friendship Associations, the activities of the Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association in the province will contribute to supplementing and promoting the activities of bilateral Friendship Associations between Vietnam and countries in Southeast Asia. The maintenance, consolidation and development of bilateral relations will be a prerequisite for enhancing the people-to-people diplomacy activities of a multilateral nature to take place more smoothly, effectively and practically on the basis of mutual understanding between the parties. And, the development of multilateral people-to-people diplomacy will also contribute to tightening bilateral friendship relations with other countries, and at the same time take advantage of the support and good bilateral friendship with countries in the multilateral organization in order to narrow gaps and differences as well as establish friendly relations with other countries, towards the more general goals of the multilateral Friendship Association.

With the above practical meanings, the establishment of the Vietnam - ASEAN Friendship Association of Dong Nai province together with bilateral Friendship Organizations between Vietnam and ASEAN countries will contribute to promoting the multilateral friendship of Dong Nai province in general, the province's people-to-people diplomacy in particular, more commensurate with the province's potential and strengths in the coming time.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and Consuls General of other countries congratulated the Mobilization Committee of the Vietnam- ASEAN Friendship Association of Dong Nai province​