May 29 2014.


Newhaven Town Council has signed a friendship and co-operation agreement with Vinh City, the city in Vietnam where Ho Chi Minh was born. This has come about as a result of the historical link the Sussex port has with Ho Chi Minh, who is believed to have worked as a pastry chef on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry as a young man in the 1910s.

The Town Council erected ten banners on West Quay, Newhaven last year with colourful and quirky historical sound bites on them, one of which was about Ho Chi Minh’s link with the town. This resulted in a visit to the town by the Vietnamese Ambassador and led to talks with Vietnam about closer ties of friendship.

It is hoped that the friendship between Vinh City and Newhaven will lead to opportunities for tourism, educational and cultural exchange as well as business links which will benefit the residents of both communities.

Councillor Julie Carr, Chair of the Town Council’s Community Engagement and Promotion Committee said: “I am delighted that Newhaven Town Council has signed a friendship and co-operation agreement with Vinh City. I think it will be of mutual benefit to both areas, the priority areas that have been identified and agreed are, education, economic development, business links, tourism and culture. We have already held preliminary talks with representatives from Vinh City as to how we can move things forward. I look forward to working with colleagues from Vietnam and from Newhaven and the surrounding area to make this relationship a long lasting and fruitful one.”

The friendship and co-operation agreement was signed by the Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost and the Chairman of the Vinh People’s Committee, Mr Nguyen Xuan Singh at a ceremony which took place in Newhaven on Sunday the 25th of May. The Vietnamese Ambassador, Mr Vu Quang Minh, also attended the ceremony, together with invited guests from both Britain and Vietnam.


Pictured above: Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost, shaking hands with the Chairman of the Vinh People’s Committee, Mr Nguyen Xuan Singh, as she presented him with a gift; a photograph of the harbour arm taken by local photographer Jon Street.