(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the Order of Sikatuna to the outgoing Vietnamese ambassador, who visited the chief executive in the Palace on Wednesday, Dec. 11, the Presidential Communications Operations Office said on Thursday, Dec. 12.
The award given to Ly Quoc Tuan was with the rank of datu (Grand Cross) gold distinction, the PCOO said.
The award was “for having been an exceptionally worthy and competent representative of his government to the Philippines; for his meritorious achievement in advancing Philippine-Vietnam relations through the facilitation of numerous high-level bilateral meetings between the two countries; for his significant contributions toward the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements particularly, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation between the Foreign Ministers of the Philippines and Vietnam signed on 9 July 2019, and the adoption of the new Philippine-Vietnam Plan of Action for 2019-2014 on 6 March 2019; for his outstanding efforts in promoting and sustaining the exchange of information on regional issues of mutual interest and importance; and, for his laudable role in promoting bilateral trade and commercial ties, building on the synergies between the two countries, and enhancing Philippine private sector participation in Vietnam’s economy and for sustaining and enhancing people-to-people ties between Philippines and Vietnam,” the citation read.
The Vietnamese envoy was accompanied by his wife, Vu Thi Tam Dan, and other Vietnamese Embassy officials.
He assumed the ambassadorship to the Philippines in February 2017.
