Paris (VNA) – Vietnam–France relations are entering a new phase based on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in which cooperation in science, education, and culture not only continues to play a crucial role but also has the potential to serve as a model for the bilateral relationship, grounded in equality and the co-creation of knowledge, Dr Frederic Roustan, a lecturer in Asian history at Aix-Marseille University (AMU), has said.
Roustan, who is also Deputy Director of the Institute for Asian Studies (IrAsia), told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Paris that Vietnam has emerged as an indispensable political and economic player in Southeast Asia, with an increasingly important role both within and beyond the region.
The establishment of the Vietnam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024 has laid a new foundation for future cooperation projects based on equality, he noted.
He highlighted the importance of scientific and intellectual cooperation, saying that despite ups and downs in bilateral diplomatic, political and economic relations over the decades, connections between French and Vietnamese scientists and intellectuals have been maintained, contributing to exchanges between the two countries.
Scientific cooperation, which once occupied a central position in bilateral ties, remains fundamental to their future, particularly amid profound global changes. Such cooperation could also serve as a model for political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the expert added.
For future academic collaboration, Vietnam should not merely be an object of study for French scholars, just as France should not simply be a subject of research for Vietnamese scholars, Roustan said. Instead, knowledge should be jointly created through equal partnerships between researchers from both countries.
He cited cooperation of AMU and IrAsia, a research institute under the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), with Vietnamese university partners, notably the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and the University of Education in Hue.
Over nearly 15 years, the partners have maintained joint training programmes and annual exchanges of students and researchers, organised seminars in France and Vietnam, and conducted joint publications.
Another area of cooperation is the preservation and promotion of shared historical documentary heritage. AMU and IrAsia are working with archival agencies in France and Vietnam to preserve and share historical materials related to the two countries, while also promoting their shared documentary heritage within the framework of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The partners are developing a joint master's programme in Francophone archival practice, expected to begin next year. An AMU delegation also visited the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi this year to renew bilateral agreements and develop joint programmes, according to Roustan.
Alongside scientific and educational cooperation, he described culture as a key channel for fostering interest in Vietnam among young French people and vice versa. He called for stronger exchanges in cinema, literature, music and the arts.
He held that contemporary Vietnamese culture hasn't been widely known in France, and greater promotion could help Vietnam reach younger generations, including potential future Vietnamese-language learners.
Roustan also stressed the need to support Vietnamese studies in France, from language teaching to research on Vietnamese culture and history. Conversely, efforts should continue to maintain French-language teaching and regional studies in Vietnam./.
VNA
