Activities to be held to mark 50 years of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties

A wide range of activities will be held across Vietnam this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th founding anniversary of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said on March 14.

Talking to the media, Nicolas Warnery said that the celebration is a good chance for both sides to look back on and learn from the past and think about the future.

According to the ambassador, the highlight of these activities will be the 12th cooperation conference between Vietnamese and French localities scheduled to take place in Hanoi on April 13-15 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary.

The event will serve as an opportunity for the two sides to promote collaboration between localities, research institutes, universities and businesses to share ideas and solutions to issues involved in urban development, sustainable development, and heritage conservation.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of External Affairs Tran Nghia Hoa said that a series of activities will be organised on the sidelines of the conference, including a fair of 100-120 booths introducing culture, tourists attractions and outstanding products of Vietnamese localities, and the “Balade en France” (Walk in France) festival, a Vietnam-France Economic Forum, and a photo exhibition featuring the two countries’ relations and their localities’ cooperation.

To date, 30 Vietnamese localities and 20 French localities, organisations and universities have registered to participate in the conference.