French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (left) in the interview. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery hasgranted an interview to Vietnam News Agency on the outcomes of bilateralcooperation between France and Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishmentof Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary oftheir strategic partnership this year.
The Ambassador said President Jacques Chirac, duringhis State visit to Vietnam in 2004, stated that the France-Vietnam relationship is a unique and strong one formed based on sincerity. Thevisit of French President François Mitterrand in 1993 was the first by a westernhead of state to Vietnam following the Doi moi (Renewal). He came at that timewith a delegation of French officials and companies to promote bilateralcooperation.
French President François Mitterrand during his visit to Vietnam in 1993. (Photo: VNA) Since then, both countries have had anextremely rich cooperation in the economic field and also in research,education, higher education, health, development, and beyond this very richcooperation, their relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership a decade ago,he said.
He wished the relationship will develop further to addresscommon challenges, such as climate change or security challenges in the region.
According to him, economic cooperationis one of the important areas of bilateral relationship. There are commercialexchanges in both directions, cross investments or French businesspeople who setup their own companies and develop their activities in Vietnam.
He voiced a belief that those relations will develop even further with the full and effective implementation of the European Union-Vietnam FreeTrade Agreement (EVFTA), which came into force in 2020.
The French-funded metro line in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) These economic relations are also based on major projects, theambassador said, citing as an example the Hanoi Metro Line 3, an emblematic project in which theVietnamese State and the French Development Agency (AFD) are heavily involved. SixFrench high-tech companies also engaged in this project. There are also othersaimed at sustainable development, promoting the energy transition in Vietnam, for example, cooperation with theVietnam Electricity Group (EVN), or the modernisation of theHoa Binh hydroelectric plant, which will provide a more abundant and lesscarbon-intensive source of electricity.
He alsounderlined the development of sustainable and enduringinfrastructure, including the future Hanoi wholesale market, the renovation ofthe Long Bien bridge and the development of sustainable transportation means, withnot only the metro but also bus lines.
A lane dedicated to buses in Hanoi’s Yen Phu street, part of a project on improving public transport in Hanoi funded by France’s Ile de France region.(Photo: VNA) Asked how ties between the two countries’ localities andpartners will thrive, especially since the 12th Vietnam-FranceDecentralised Partnership Conference will soon be held in Hanoi, Warnery said decentralised cooperation, bydefinition, involves municipalities, departments, regions on the French side,and provinces on the Vietnamese side. It also involves universities on bothsides, hospitals, schools, and sometimes associations. It is an extraordinarily rich cooperation, a friendship that unitespeoples at all levels and in all areas. This cooperation will indeed beillustrated and highlighted very soon by the 12th Decentralised PartnershipConference that the French Embassy will co-organise with the Vietnamese Ministryof Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi municipal People's Committee.
This conference is important because it is the first to be held after the COVID-19 period, which will allow local authorities tomeet, resume direct dialogue that they have maintained online but in difficultconditions during the pandemic. This conference may also create newpartnerships and, in general, discuss and address common interests together. The theme of this conference will be precisely onsustainable urban and rural development, heritage, culture, and tourism.
He said the theme of the 50th anniversary ofVietnam-France diplomatic relations is "Shared Cultures," meaningthat there are a lot in common between French and Vietnamese cultures. Their culturalcooperation is extraordinarily diverse and encompasses literature, debate,dance, music, cinema, photography, and many other fields. The two countries are working to demonstrate this diversity in a series of interesting events. Two wonderfulexhibitions were already held, one on the history of Long Bien Bridge lastDecember, and another on the revival and conservation ofthe Templeof Literature. These are two of the most remarkable sites in Hanoi.
This month, he said the embassy will hold the "Balade enFrance" festival, a public event that includes French gastronomy, the culture ofliving together and conviviality. Organized just after the 12th Decentralised Partnership Conference,the event will bring culture to the streets for the general public. And then,there will also be very beautiful events, including a performance based on"The Little Prince," a musical tale at the Hanoi Opera House. Therewill be music, drawings from a comic book dedicated to "The LittlePrince," and the text of this well-known book.
And at theend of this year, a fashion event in Ho Chi Minh City is planned. A sound andlight show at the Imperial Citadel of Hue, the central province of ThuaThien-Hue is also expected.
Education is another field that has seen strong cooperation between Vietnam and France, which encompasses from primary and secondary education up tothe baccalaureate, and then education in higher education and research,including higher studies and university exchange programmes. The embassy willtry to hold a series of events in schools with French teaching or bilingual programmes. University conferences and science days are also planned in differentvenues.
Regarding ties between France and Francophone partners inVietnam, the diplomat said France is very active in Francophone community suchas the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the Francophone UniversityAgency (AUF), and other Francophone countries that are present in Vietnam.
He described Hanoi as the capital of Francophone community inthe region since the headquarters of the AUF and OIF’s Asia-Pacific regionaloffices are located here.
On the occasion, he also appreciated LeCourrier du Vietnam, a French-language newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency, saying that he reads it very regularly and loves it a lot./.
