International Francophone Day (March 20) will be marked in Vietnam on March 18 with numerous events to convince young people to study the French language.

The Director of the International Organisation of the French-Speaking World (IOF) Asian-Pacific office, Patrice Burel, said at a press briefing in Hanoi on March 10 that these events will include a Francophone film festival, African world music with Ba Cissoko band and a cultural festival, aimed at promoting the colourful cultures of the French-speaking world.

The Francophone film festival will take place in Hanoi in the north, Hue city in the central region and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, and present audiences with films on modern times from France,  Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Tunisia and Vietnam.

Vietnam will screen three documentaries at the festival, consisting of “Left with the time”, directed by Le Hong Chuong, “Roads to justice” directed by Lai Van Sinh, and “Countryside”, by Sy Chung.

The Francophone Cultural Festival will culminate with the final of the French song festival at Hanoi University on the night of March 19. Vietnamese school pupils and university students are expected to flock there for a cultural exchange./.