French Ambassador looks back 50 years of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (left) in the interview. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery has granted an interview to Vietnam News Agency on the outcomes of bilateral cooperation between France and Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year. 

The Ambassador said President Jacques Chirac, during his State visit to Vietnam in 2004, stated that the France-Vietnam relationship is a unique and strong one formed based on sincerity. The visit of French President François Mitterrand in 1993 was the first by a western head of state to Vietnam following the Doi moi (Renewal). He came at that time with a delegation of French officials and companies to promote bilateral cooperation.

French President François Mitterrand during his visit to Vietnam in 1993. (Photo: VNA) 

Since then, both countries have had an extremely rich cooperation in the economic field and also in research, education, higher education, health, development, and beyond this very rich cooperation, their relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership a decade ago, he said.  

He wished the relationship will develop further to address common challenges, such as climate change or security challenges in the region.

According to him, economic cooperation is one of the important areas of bilateral relationship. There are commercial exchanges in both directions, cross investments or French businesspeople who set up 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 Free Trade 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, the ambassador said, citing as an example the Hanoi Metro Line 3, an emblematic project in which the Vietnamese State and the French Development Agency (AFD) are heavily involved. Six French high-tech companies also engaged in this project. There are also others aimed at sustainable development, promoting the energy transition in Vietnam, for example, cooperation with the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), or the modernisation of the Hoa Binh hydroelectric plant, which will provide a more abundant and less carbon-intensive source of electricity.

He also underlined the development of sustainable and enduring infrastructure, including the future Hanoi wholesale market, the renovation of the Long Bien bridge and the development of sustainable transportation means, with not 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 and partners will thrive, especially since the 12th Vietnam-France Decentralised Partnership Conference will soon be held in Hanoi, Warnery said decentralised cooperation, by definition, involves municipalities, departments, regions on the French side, and provinces on the Vietnamese side. It also involves universities on both sides, hospitals, schools, and sometimes associations. It is an extraordinarily rich cooperation, a friendship that unites peoples at all levels and in all areas. This cooperation will indeed be illustrated and highlighted very soon by the 12th Decentralised Partnership Conference that the French Embassy will co-organise with the Vietnamese Ministry of 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 to meet, resume direct dialogue that they have maintained online but in difficult conditions during the pandemic. This conference may also create new partnerships and, in general, discuss and address common interests together. The theme of this conference will be precisely on sustainable urban and rural development, heritage, culture, and tourism.

He said the theme of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations is "Shared Cultures," meaning that there are a lot in common between French and Vietnamese cultures. Their cultural cooperation 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 wonderful exhibitions were already held, one on the history of Long Bien Bridge last December, and another on the revival and conservation of the Temple of Literature. These are two of the most remarkable sites in Hanoi.

This month, he said the embassy will hold the "Balade en France" festival, a public event that includes French gastronomy, the culture of living 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. There will be music, drawings from a comic book dedicated to "The Little Prince," and the text of this well-known book.

And at the end of this year, a fashion event in Ho Chi Minh City is planned. A sound and light show at the Imperial Citadel of Hue, the central province of Thua Thien-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 to the baccalaureate, and then education in higher education and research, including higher studies and university exchange programmes. The embassy will try to hold a series of events in schools with French teaching or bilingual programmes. University conferences and science days are also planned in different venues.

Regarding ties between France and Francophone partners in Vietnam, the diplomat said France is very active in Francophone community such as the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the Francophone University Agency (AUF), and other Francophone countries that are present in Vietnam.

He described Hanoi as the capital of Francophone community in the region since the headquarters of the AUF and OIF’s Asia-Pacific regional offices are located here.

On the occasion, he also appreciated Le Courrier du Vietnam, a French-language newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency, saying that  he reads it very regularly and loves it a lot./.