Former Austrian diplomat, Austria-Vietnam Society honoured with Friendship Order

The honour recognizes their major contributions to strengthening and expanding the friendly ties between the people of Vietnam and Austria.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam Philipp Agathonos, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and President of the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association Tran Tuan Anh, President of the Austria-Vietnam Society Alfred Gerstel, former Austrian Ambassadors to Vietnam across different tenures, alongside numerous Austrian friends and members of the local Vietnamese community.

Authorized by the State President, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang presented the Friendship Medal to Peter Jankowitsch and the Austria-Vietnam Society.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang emphasized that the award represents official recognition by the Vietnamese State for Jankowitsch’s decades-long dedicated efforts to advance bilateral relations, while conveying the deep gratitude and appreciation of the Vietnamese people.

As former Austrian Foreign Minister and a steadfast friend of Vietnam, Jankowitsch supported peace, multilateral cooperation, and solidarity with the Global South, while consistently backing Vietnam at the United Nations and across European forums. During his tenure as President of the Austria-Vietnam Society (1998-2022), he helped deepen both state-to-state and people-to-people relations while promoting numerous humanitarian initiatives in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre province.

Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang also congratulated the Austria-Vietnam Society for standing alongside the Vietnamese people since its founding in 1976 by supporting efforts against past embargoes, promoting humanitarian projects, healing war wounds, and assisting Agent Orange/dioxin victims and orphans in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

He paid tribute to generations of Austrian friends who dedicated themselves to Vietnam, highlighting Georges Wächter (Ho Chi Tho), who lived and worked in Vietnam for a decade to fight relapsing fever and became one of the few foreign close friends of President Ho Chi Minh.

Expressing his gratitude, Peter Jankowitsch thanked the State and people of Vietnam for conferring the prestigious order and for their enduring affection toward him and the Society.

He recalled how the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people for national liberation and their resilience against past embargoes motivated him and the Society to rally international support, help Vietnam settle war consequences, and fund humanitarian projects for orphans and vocational training for women.

Impressed by Vietnam's socio-economic achievements during the Doi Moi (Renovation) period, Jankowitsch called on the Austria-Vietnam Society to continue working closely with the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association to strengthen people-to-people diplomacy and development cooperation, looking toward the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027.

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