France’s Lyon city and the French Development Agency (AFD) will provide Hanoi with 340,000 euros in non-refundable aid to help the capital city light up major locations to herald its millennial birthday.

An agreement on the aid was signed in Hanoi on May 6 between Nguyen Van Khoi, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, and Jacques Fournier, Director of the Lyon lighting department.

To the end, 26 structures and locations in Hanoi will be decoratively brighter thanks to equipment to be purchased by the French aid. Among these are the Government’s Guest House, the statue of King Ly Thai To, the octagonal building in Ly Thai To garden, and a fountain in Dien Hong garden.

As the project is estimated to cost 480,000 euros in total so the rest of 140,000 euros will be covered by Hanoi , which is responsible for the installation of a power network to support the lighting work.

Khoi highlighted the French aid as a significant gift to Hanoi in preparation for its 1,000 th birth anniversary.

The French official expressed his city’s honour to contribute its part to the capital city’s millennial birthday celebration, describing it as a practical deed to foster the traditional friendship between Vietnam and France as well as between Lyon and Hanoi./.