Hanoi (VNA) - Canadianand Russian experts shared their thoughts on Vietnam’s path to independence andits accomplishments over the last 75 years at recent events.

The Canada-Vietnam Friendship Association heldan online programme to screen the documentaries on the life and career of the Presidentand the country’s path to independence and freedom. Celebrating 75 years sincethe August Revolution and the 75th National Day, the programme was attended byCanadian friends and Vietnamese nationals in the country.

Luis Silva, an expert on government relations,said the films helped him understand President Ho Chi Minh’s key role in thestruggle to liberate Vietnam from the rule of France and Japan.

Elizabeth McIninch, Director of theCanada-Vietnam Trade Council, said she was moved by Ho Chi Minh’s burning desireto free Vietnam from the yoke of colonialism and restore freedom to its people.

She noted that the President laid thecornerstone of Vietnam’s economy today, which she called an emerging star inSoutheast Asia.

Vietnam is now an important partner of Canada, shewent on, which attaches great importance to the Southeast Asian country. Despitethe challenges posed by COVID-19, the path ahead will open up endlessopportunities for the people of the two countries.

Meanwhile, at a recent discussion with Russia’sSputnik news agency to mark Vietnam’s 75th National Day, Professor VladimirKolotov, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at the Saint Petersburg StateUniversity, said Vietnam has achieved enormous successes since the AugustRevolution and its establishment on September 2, 1945, including victories in resistancewars to liberate the country from colonialism and reunify the nation.

Vietnam is now a sovereign country and has a rapidly-growingeconomy, he added.

He also highlighted the country’s ASEAN chairmanshipand non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2020, adding thatwith only one “No” vote in the UN General Assembly’s secret ballot to choosenon-permanent members of the council last year, Vietnam secured anunprecedented level of support.

These factors have also confirmed Vietnam’s profileand reputation in the international arena, the professor added.

Meanwhile, Professor Vladimir Mazyrin from theCentre for the Study of Vietnam and ASEAN at the Far Eastern Studies Instituteof the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke highly of Vietnam’s economicachievements during its transition to a market economy, which saw it emergingas a rapidly-developing country.

Vietnam is a rare example of a countrysucceeding in keeping up with its more developed counterparts in the region andthe world, he said, noting that while most regional countries saw a considerableslowdown in growth in the first half of 2020, Vietnam still posted a positive rate.

The professor cited other experts’ forecaststhat, by 2050, Vietnam will be among the top 20 countries in the world in termsof GDP growth. It currently stands in 32nd position; a major feat comparedto 75 years and 35 years ago, when it was still among the poorest nations.

He expressed his belief that Vietnam will becomea developed economy by 2050./.