3rd May 2019
Hanoi
World Press Freedom Day is celebrated across the globe on 3 May. We, as Ambassadors of Canada and the UK, believe that free and independent media play a vital role in social and economic prosperity, the protection of human rights and in holding the powerful to account. That is why our two countries have recently […]
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12th December 2018
Hanoi
Earlier this week, international experts came together in Hanoi to discuss maritime security. We were involved – the Embassies of Britain, France and Australia and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam – because, our four countries are maritime nations that rely on sea trade routes and freedom of navigation across the globe. The rules which constitute […]
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5th September 2018
Hanoi
I’ve only been Ambassador here in Vietnam for a month, but that’s long enough to pick up on the importance of education. As a society with a Confucian history, I can see that study is valued highly, even if things have changed a lot in the millenium since Hanoi’s Temple of Literature first tested scholars against […]
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18th February 2018
Hanoi, Vietnam
The lunar new year is here. And along with everyone else in Vietnam, I’m celebrating the start of the Year of the Dog. But I’m also thinking this week about another more exotic animal. 17 February is World Pangolin day. And pangolins, whether in Vietnam or elsewhere, badly need our help. Some INGOs estimate that […]
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31st October 2017
Hanoi, Vietnam
People sometimes ask me which part of my job I enjoy the most, and which is the hardest part. For both questions, the answer often relates to our role in providing consular services to British people overseas. I get a particular sense of professional satisfaction when our consular teams in Hanoi or HCMC are able […]
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28th September 2017
Hanoi, Vietnam
Did you know that 28 September is International Right to Know Day? No? Neither did I until one of my colleagues suggested I write a blog. For most civil servants in the UK sharing information with the public is second nature. This is because the UK Parliament passed a Freedom of Information Act in 2000 […]
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15th September 2017
Hanoi, Vietnam
Today is the UN’s International Day of Democracy (IDD). Time flies – it seems like much less than two years ago that I marked IDD in 2015 by meeting with civil society representatives to discuss the development of civil society in Vietnam. This year, the IDD again represents an opportunity to step back from our daily work […]
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4th July 2017
Hanoi, Vietnam
Those of you who follow our UKinVietnam Facebook page closely will know that the UK believes strongly in the value of a vibrant and dynamic media. The media plays a vital role in providing reliable and accurate information, and giving people the opportunity to discuss and debate issues freely. That is why I’m proud of […]
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24th January 2017
Hanoi, Vietnam
Happy new year to all of you! That’s something I expect to be saying for most of this month: the buzz of welcoming in a new calendar year will barely have worn off before it’s time to celebrate the lunar new year – the Year of the Rooster – in late January. In the west, […]
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8th August 2016
Hanoi, Vietnam
Last week I was down in the coastal city of Da Nang in central Vietnam, braving the blistering summer heat to celebrate a “first” in UK defence engagement in the Asia Pacific, and with Vietnam. Pacific Partnership (PP) is an annual US-led multinational defence engagement, focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief with allies and […]
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