The France Year in Vietnam was launched at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 9 with the attendance of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and visiting French Minister for Foreign Trade Nicole Bricq.

 Held to mark the 40 th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (1973-2013), the France Year in Vietnam is scheduled to last until mid-2014 and feature a broad range of activities in various areas such as economics, education, research, culture, arts, tourism, sports, architecture, fashion and national defence.  

 Addressing the ceremony, Minister Nicole Bricq highlighted the friendly and trusting relationship between the two countries, saying France hopes to continue developing cooperation with Vietnam based on the existing solid ground.

 The 2013 France Year in Vietnam , to be followed by the 2014 Vietnam Year in France , aim to offer more opportunities for the two countries to explore each other and increase exchange, she said.

 Minister Hoang Tuan Anh said the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 40 years ago marked a milestone and opened up a new page in the relationship between the two countries.

 The relationship has seen dynamic and comprehensive development since then and France is now Vietnam ’s leading economic partner in Europe, he said, adding that France ’s effective assistance has contributed to Vietnam ’s poverty reduction, socio-economic development and sustainable development.

 The minister also stressed that the two countries share a common vision on the modern world and strive for the common goal of peace, equality, humanity, cooperation and development.

 He noted that this similarity between the two countries can be seen clearly in the outcome of numerous visits of their senior officials, of bilateral dialogue mechanisms and cooperation between their localities, as well as in the cooperation between the two countries in regional and international organisations and forums, particularly the Francophone organisation.

 The relations between Vietnam and France have been further cemented by cultural and education-training cooperation. The number of Vietnamese students and researchers studying in France has been increasing at an annual rate of 30 percent over the past decade. With more than 7,000 citizens studying in France at present, Vietnam has become the second biggest Asian community in French tertiary institutions.

 The minister affirmed that Vietnam will do its utmost, together with France, to successfully organise the Vietnam-France/France-Vietnam Year in 2013 and 2014.

VNA