Vietnam Stands Firm in Solidarity with Palestine for Peace and Freedom
	Palestinian Ambassador Saadi Salama: Fostering Diplomacy Through Culture

On May 20 in Hanoi, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) held a ceremony to present the “For peace and friendship among nations” medal to Palestinian Ambassador to Viet Nam Saadi Salama in recognition of his active contributions to friendship, solidarity, and people-to-people cooperation between Viet Nam and Palestine.

The medal is the highest distinction awarded by VUFO to both Vietnamese and foreign individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of peace, solidarity, and friendship among nations.

President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son presents the “For peace and friendship among nations” medal to Palestinian Ambassador to Viet Nam Saadi Salama. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Speaking at the ceremony, VUFO President Phan Anh Son said Viet Nam and Palestine share many similarities, having both experienced war and struggles for national independence. The leaders, State, and people of Viet Nam have always appreciated and remained grateful for the support of the international community and progressive movements around the world, including generations of Palestinian people who supported Viet Nam’s just struggle.

According to Phan Anh Son, together with the strength of solidarity and faith, the support of international friends, including the Palestinian people, contributed to Viet Nam’s reunification, post-war recovery, international integration, and continued development.

He said valuing and preserving friendships with nations and friends who once stood alongside Viet Nam is a consistent principle in the country’s foreign policy and also reflects the Vietnamese tradition of loyalty and gratitude.

The President of VUFO described Ambassador Saadi Salama as someone with a profound understanding of Viet Nam’s history, culture, politics, and society after decades of studying, working, and living in the country.

He noted that at nearly every activity organized by VUFO and its member organizations, Ambassador Saadi Salama has always made time to attend and accompany people-to-people diplomatic activities whenever invited.

“More than half of my adult life has been spent in Viet Nam”

Expressing his sincere gratitude to the leadership of VUFO, Ambassador Saadi Salama said he regarded the commemorative medal as a special gift not only for himself personally but also for the Palestinian people.

“I am proud that an important part of my awareness, understanding, and experiences was shaped in Viet Nam,” the Ambassador said.

The Ambassador shared that he has been closely connected with Viet Nam for more than 40 years, including nearly 24 years of living, studying, and working in the country - a period accounting for more than half of his adult life. “Viet Nam has occupied an important place in my thoughts and heart,” he stated.

Delegates pose for a commemorative photo. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Referring to the special sense of empathy between the Palestinian and Vietnamese peoples, Ambassador Saadi Salama said the spirit of solidarity and national unity was one of the key factors that enabled Viet Nam to achieve victory in its struggle for national liberation as well as in its current national development efforts. Palestine has always regarded Viet Nam as a source of inspiration and a valuable lesson in experience.

Ambassador Saadi Salama said that from his earliest days in Viet Nam, he began accompanying VUFO. According to him, VUFO serves as “an open door” helping the Palestinian and Vietnamese peoples better understand each other through exchanges, international solidarity activities, and people-to-people diplomacy. What pleased him most during his tenure in Viet Nam was contributing to the promotion of people-to-people exchanges, connecting high-level delegations, and maintaining close ties between the two peoples.

During his remarks, Ambassador Saadi Salama repeatedly referred to Hanoi as an inseparable part of his youthful memories. He recalled the days living in student dormitories during the subsidy period, morning walks with Vietnamese friends, and Hanoi’s autumn afternoons.

He said that after completing his tenure, he would continue returning to Viet Nam, not only for work but also because of his everyday attachments to Hanoi and Vietnamese culture. “I think it would be very difficult if I had to go two or three months without a little fish sauce in my meals,” the Ambassador said.

Palestinian diplomat speaks Vietnamese like a Hanoian

To many Vietnamese people, Saadi Salama is a special diplomat. He speaks Vietnamese with a Hanoi accent, reads The Tale of Kieu, writes books in Vietnamese, and frequently appears at cultural and people-to-people diplomatic events in Hanoi.

In many conversations with the Vietnamese media, he has shared: “There is a very large part of Viet Nam within me” - a quote later printed on the cover of his book My Viet Nam Story, published in 2023.

Saadi Salama with Le Thanh and Nguyen Hanh, his two Vietnamese language teachers in Hanoi in 1982. (Photo: KT)

Saadi Salama came to Viet Nam in 1980 at the age of 19. He recalled that during his teenage years in Palestine, he often followed news about the Viet Nam War and felt a special sense of empathy between the two peoples.

He once said that during his early years in Hanoi, foreign students lived much like Vietnamese students during the subsidy period: riding bicycles, standing in queues, and using coupons. It was precisely those experiences that helped him quickly understand the Vietnamese people.

From a Palestinian student, he became a familiar face within the international diplomatic community in Viet Nam. As the Palestinian Ambassador to Viet Nam since 2009, he has frequently coordinated with VUFO and the Viet Nam Committee for Solidarity with the Palestinian People to organize people-to-people exchange activities, exhibitions, cultural exchanges, and solidarity programs in support of the Palestinian people.

He has also actively promoted meetings between VUFO leaders and senior Palestinian leaders during official visits and working trips to Viet Nam, while coordinating arrangements for the 2023 visit and working trip to Palestine by a delegation of leaders from VUFO.

As Head of the Diplomatic Corps in Viet Nam since 2019, Ambassador Saadi Salama has regularly represented the diplomatic community in attending and delivering remarks at numerous people-to-people diplomatic events.

He also personally translated the narration for the clip and the book Welcome to Viet Nam into Arabic to introduce the image of Viet Nam and its people to communities across Arab countries.

In January 2026, Ambassador Saadi Salama was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Hanoi.

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