VIETNAM, January 6 –
Professor Horst Klinkmann received the Việt Nam Order of Friendship from the Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany, Nguyễn Minh Vũ, during a ceremony on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS photo Mạnh Hùng
BERLIN – German medical professor Horst Klinkmann has been awarded an Order of Friendship in recognition of his remarkable services to the health sector and bilateral relations with Việt Nam.
On behalf of the President of Việt Nam, Ambassador Nguyễn Minh Vũ presented the 87-year-old with the country’s highest award for foreigners during a ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin on Wednesday.
The diplomat thanked Klinkmann for his tireless commitment to Việt Nam and bilateral relations.
The German professor has dedicated his entire life to saving human lives and has constantly cultivated the partnership between Việt Nam and Germany not only in healthcare, but also in business, culture, sports and education, he said.
Klinkmann expressed pride at being honored and recognized by the Việt Nam state and said he expected the friendship and partnership between the two peoples to expand in the future.
He said he was struck by the Vietnamese people’s desire for independence, which motivated him and his companions to work together to promote friendship with and support Việt Nam.
Klinkmann is a senior consultant and ambassador for the health economy of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and co-founder of the company BioCon Valley.
As a student and then lecturer at the University of Rostock, one of the oldest universities in Germany, Klinkmann actively supported the first Vietnamese medical students at the university after peace was restored in Việt Nam in 1954.
Klinkmann has helped promote links between Việt Nam and Germany in the fields of education and medicine, reflected in the establishment of the Việt Đức Friendship Hospital and Nghệ An’s Vinh General Hospital, and delivered much-needed medical supplies and medicines to Việt Nam, when the country ran into economic difficulties due to blockades and embargoes, suffered from serious shortages.
He also assisted Việt Nam in training efforts as well as material and equipment support in the field of dialysis. — VNS
