French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (red tie) at an exhibition to introduce the project "Reviving a French architectural heritage" to consult experts on the preservation of a villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao street, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The French Embassy in Vietnam on May 9 held a press conference launching a project named “Share and protect Vietnam’s heritage”.
The project received funding of 18 billion VND (784,300 USD) for activities from 2022-2024 with the French Government and partners such as museums and universities.
The project aims to improve the competitiveness of museums and support the design of pilot projects on heritage conservation in Vietnam.
French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery said that over the years, France has always emphasized cultural cooperation between the two countries, notably in the fields of museums and heritage preservation.
“The launch of the project opens a new stage for the effective cooperation between France and Vietnam. The cooperation is in line with Vietnam - France joint statement on heritage conservation issued on the occasion of the Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Paris in November 2021,” the French Ambassador said.
Under the project, a series of activities will be carried out, including professional training for Vietnamese museum staff; development of training programs for museum careers in universities; and supporting the design of pilot projects in heritage conservation in the North, Central and South regions of Vietnam.
French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said this project opens up a new stage in a significant cooperation between the two countries, demonstrating both sides’ aspirations to boost ties in the field of cultural heritage, especially in preservation activities.
Sharing France’s experience of managing heritage, the diplomat said that the quality and activities of heritage conservation and museums have made an important contribution to making France a leading tourist destination in the world and to the country’s economic growth.
Vietnam can take advantage of its culture and heritage to promote economic development, he added.
Sophie Maysonnave, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Activities at the French embassy, said the project will be carried out in three regions of Vietnam. The first is renovating the Tourist Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The next project includes supporting Environmental Education and Communication Centre in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Nam. The final project for support includes designing and implementing “Story Boxes” for museums in Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
The project’s activities include training courses for museum staff, which will be taught by experts from France’s famous museums and universities.
Villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao street (Photo: VNA)
Cooperation between the two countries’ museums will also be intensified through field trips to exchange experience in the European country.
Sophie Maysonnave said that France, home to nearly 1,300 museums, has accumulated a lot of expertise in this field to attract young people. She expressed hope that these valuable experiences will be transmitted to colleagues in Vietnam.
Previously, in the period 2004-2011, France made many contributions to promoting heritage in Vietnam through the project “Re-evaluating Vietnam’s Museum heritage”.
The project is considered successful in terms of cultural cooperation between the two countries. There was close collaboration between experts from renowned French museums and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang City, and Dak Lak Museum in Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Museums play an important role, helping to make France the world's leading tourist destination and contributing to France’s economic growth. In 2019, France’s travel and tourism industry contributed 211 billion € to the country’s GDP./.
