Vietnamese Ambassador to France Duong Chi Dung has described the forthcoming establishment of a Vietnam-France strategic partnership as a new milestone in the relationship between the countries which will significantly deepen ties in the coming decades.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Dung stated that the new partnership will be launched during an official visit to France by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on September 24-26.
He added that the up-coming visit is a manifestation of the traditional friendship and cooperation Vietnam has shared with France over the past 40 years and affirms the determination of both countries to increase their cooperation in the future.
Vietnam and France established their diplomatic ties on April 12, 1973 and have had important position in each other’s foreign policy ever since, according to the ambassador.
Both sides have set up a strong development framework on the back of nearly 20 cooperation deals and a series of dialogues and consultations.
Despite global financial woes, France remains an important European trading partner of Vietnam, with last year’s two-way trade hitting 3.7 billion USD, up 13 percent from 2011.
The country remains the biggest European investor in Vietnam, with over 3 billion USD in direct investment, he noted.
Vietnam is now the second largest partner of France in terms of official development assistance (ODA) with the total ODA commitments has hit more than 1.5 billion USD since 1994.
In terms of culture and education, Vietnam sees its partnership with France as a spearhead, Ambassador Dung said, adding that the Vietnam culture centre in Paris is the first of its kind in Europe and the second in the world, giving French and European friends a closer look into Vietnam’s culture, arts and tourism. In addition, over 7,000 Vietnamese students are pursuing studies in France, he noted.
The diplomat hailed cooperation between nearly 50 Vietnamese and French localities over the past 20 years, which spans urban planning, vocational training, tourism, culture and the environment. Added to this, over 300,000 overseas Vietnamese people live in France, strengthening the friendship further.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary, both nations are holding a 2013-2014 Exchange Year, in which a France Year in Vietnam will last from April-December, 2013 and a Vietnam Year in France will run from January-September, 2014, offering a variety of political, economic, trade, education, culture, art and sport activities.
A highlight during the Exchange Year 2013-2014 is a series of high-ranking visits. Both nations’ Foreign Ministers made visits earlier in the year, followed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to France in September and French President Francois Hollande’s visit to Vietnam which is scheduled in 2014.-VNA
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Dung stated that the new partnership will be launched during an official visit to France by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on September 24-26.
He added that the up-coming visit is a manifestation of the traditional friendship and cooperation Vietnam has shared with France over the past 40 years and affirms the determination of both countries to increase their cooperation in the future.
Vietnam and France established their diplomatic ties on April 12, 1973 and have had important position in each other’s foreign policy ever since, according to the ambassador.
Both sides have set up a strong development framework on the back of nearly 20 cooperation deals and a series of dialogues and consultations.
Despite global financial woes, France remains an important European trading partner of Vietnam, with last year’s two-way trade hitting 3.7 billion USD, up 13 percent from 2011.
The country remains the biggest European investor in Vietnam, with over 3 billion USD in direct investment, he noted.
Vietnam is now the second largest partner of France in terms of official development assistance (ODA) with the total ODA commitments has hit more than 1.5 billion USD since 1994.
In terms of culture and education, Vietnam sees its partnership with France as a spearhead, Ambassador Dung said, adding that the Vietnam culture centre in Paris is the first of its kind in Europe and the second in the world, giving French and European friends a closer look into Vietnam’s culture, arts and tourism. In addition, over 7,000 Vietnamese students are pursuing studies in France, he noted.
The diplomat hailed cooperation between nearly 50 Vietnamese and French localities over the past 20 years, which spans urban planning, vocational training, tourism, culture and the environment. Added to this, over 300,000 overseas Vietnamese people live in France, strengthening the friendship further.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary, both nations are holding a 2013-2014 Exchange Year, in which a France Year in Vietnam will last from April-December, 2013 and a Vietnam Year in France will run from January-September, 2014, offering a variety of political, economic, trade, education, culture, art and sport activities.
A highlight during the Exchange Year 2013-2014 is a series of high-ranking visits. Both nations’ Foreign Ministers made visits earlier in the year, followed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to France in September and French President Francois Hollande’s visit to Vietnam which is scheduled in 2014.-VNA
