Singapore names hybrid orchid species after Vietnamese premier and spouse
Friday, February 10, 2023, 18:13 GMT+7
A new species of hybrid orchid was named after Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, Le Thi Bich Tran, during a ceremony held in their honor in Singapore on Thursday as part of their official visit to the city-state.
The flower, named Papilionanda Pham Le Tran Chinh, was presented to the couple at a naming ceremony held at the National Orchids Garden within the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The event took place one day after PM Chinh and his spouse, along with their entourage, arrived in Singapore for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
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| A pot of Papilionanda Pham Le Tran Chinh, a new hybrid orchid species named after Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, Le Thi Bich Tran, at the National Orchids Garden in Singapore on February 9, 2023. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre |
After signing a scrapbook and putting a tag bearing their name on the hybrid orchid species, PM Chinh and his wife took a tour of the garden.
The garden’s representative said that this new orchid was bred from mixing a species of orchid found in Vietnam with another in Singapore.
PM Chinh thanked the host for the honor and shared his hopes that the two countries' ties will develop fruitfully and last as long as the beauty of the new species of orchid, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.
As part of its ‘orchid diplomacy’ adopted in 1956, Singapore names orchids after visiting foreign heads of state as a demonstration of its government's friendliness and goodwill.
More than 200 orchid species have been named this way. The garden currently houses over 3,000 orchid and hybrid species.
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| Papilionanda Pham Le Tran Chinh, a new hybrid orchid species at the National Orchids Garden in Singapore. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre |
Earlier on Thursday, Chinh offered a bouquet at the Ho Chi Minh Monument in the Asian Civilizations Museum as part of his visit to Singapore – the first since he took office.
Chinh’s visit took place as the two countries are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties and 10 years of strategic partnership.
Also the same day, PM Chinh and PM Lee held talks focusing on measures to further promote the bilateral cooperation between the two nations in all fields.
After the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of various cooperative documents, including an MoU on the establishment of the Vietnam - Singapore partnership on digital economy and green economy, among others.
As scheduled, Chinh will speak at a business forum at the Shangri-la Hotel and meet Deputy PM and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday before leaving for Brunei for an official visit at the invitation of Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
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