Dear APSR members, colleagues and friends,

It is with great pleasure to write to you as half of the year 2019 has gone by. Hope this finds you well and enjoying the time of summer.

On behalf of the organizing committee of the APSR Congress 2019, we are delighted to welcome you to this special event, which will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam from 14th to 17th November 2019.

Since the first Congress in 1988, the APSR Congress has steadily grown in importance and become a worldwide annual meeting covering topics in pulmonary and critical care medicine and sleep breathing disorders, including COPD, asthma, lung cancer, chronic and acute respiratory failure, interstitial lung diseases, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, smoking cessation, respiratory rehabilitation, clean air and combating air pollution, etc.

The Chairs of the Central and Local Congress Committees, together with all of us are working hard to bring you a programme that addresses the needs of all respiratory professionals, from scientists to clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals. The Congress will focus on 17 topics related to 7Respirology which are divided into 03 Plenary Lectures, 7 Pre-Congress Workshops including hands-on sessions such as interventional pulmonology, thoracic ultrasound; 31 Symposia, Oral Sessions and Sponsored Symposia. I am confident that the APSR 2019 programme will stimulate debate and shed new light on advances in the field.

Alongside the programme, the Congress provides a great opportunity for all delegates to create a network with peers from across the world. Knowledge is deepened when it is shared and by meeting together, discussing experiences and debating various approaches to key topics, enabling us to work towards a better future for respiratory health.

The success of the APSR Congress 2019 depends on our dedicated and loyal members, and to those of you who join us for our Congress each year. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the new members who have joined us this year, as we have seen our numbers rising thanks to our new membership strategy with national and international societies. We look forward to seeing you all in Hanoi, Vietnam for our 24th Congress, which will be one of the biggest events in pulmonary and critical care medicine in the Asia-Pacific region.

Join us and we believe that you will have a fruitful meeting and pleasant stay in Hanoi! Hanoi is a safe, vibrant destination with more than thousand years of history, with its Chinese, French and American connections culminating in its fame as an unique and charming modern global city. Welcome to you all.

Yours Sincerely,