An art performance at the celebration (Source: VNA) Ben Tre (VNA) - The 21st Francophone Day of the Mekong Delta opened in BenTre on March 11 in celebration of the International Francophonie Day (March 20)and to mark the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam – France diplomatic ties(April 12).
The event was jointly organised by the Ben Tre provincechapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, Francophoneinternational organisations, and Can Tho University.
Many activities were held during the event,including a French speaking contest on the theme of Vietnamese and Frenchcuisine, a cooking contest focusing on French dishes, and bilingual artexchanges.
Jean Philippe Rousse, attaché of cooperation andcultural activities at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City, saidFrench is the fifth most widely used, the second mostly learnt language in theworld and the second official language at international organisations.
Ben Tre has the largest numbers of Frenchlanguage learners and teachers in the Mekong Delta region, with 4,000 studentsand 30 teachers at secondary and high school levels.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee Nguyen Huu Phuoc said more than 100 graduates from the Ben Tre seniorhigh school for gifted students have received tertiary education in France.
Over the past time, numerous local students havereceived scholarships of France-based universities and institutes, which willencourage more students to learn French and lay the foundation for thecooperation between Ben Tre and France in the future, he said.
The Francophone Day of the Mekong Delta is thebiggest annual get-together of the Francophone community in the Mekong Delta.
It is rotationally organised by four regionallocalities. This is the fourth time Ben Tre province has ever hosted the event.-VNA
VNA
