LiveSpace is a music project for talented young artists initiated by the French Institute in Hanoi (Institut Français de Hanoï) (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) - The cultural activities scheduled for this year will help promote mutual understanding between Vietnamese and French people, and highlight all the commonalities between the two nations, said the Ambassador of France to Vietnam, Nicolas Warnery.
Nicolas Warnery has granted an interview to Vietnam News Agency on the diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties (April 12, 1973 – 2023) and 10 years of the strategic partnership (September 25, 2013-2023).
Long-lasting history
Reporter: France was one of the countries that had established diplomatic relations with Vietnam right after the Paris Agreement was signed in 1973. How do you evaluate the history of the friendship between the two countries?
Nicolas Warnery: Vietnam and France share a long-standing history that goes far beyond the milestone of establishing diplomatic relations in 1973. France's interest in the region dates back to the 19th century. Vietnam holds a special position in the history and the hearts of the French people. It is no coincidence that the agreements on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam were discussed and signed in Paris.
It cannot be denied that our past witnessed difficult moments, including the war from 1946 to 1954. However, as President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher stated during his visit to Vietnam in December 2022, we believe that the relationship between the two countries will continue to move forward, especially in concrete cooperation activities to meet common priorities.
Photo: French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery is optimistic about the future of Vietnam-France relations. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Reporter: Looking back over the last five decades, can you point out important achievements in the bilateral relations?
Nicolas Warnery: The two countries achieved significant milestones in various fields of cooperation, such as the presence and assistance provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) in Vietnam over the last nearly 30 years; the increasing number of French entrepreneurs who established businesses in accordance with Vietnamese law; and collaboration in the aviation sector, and cultural and educational cooperation between France and Vietnam.
Reporter: How do you evaluate the limitations of cooperation and the potential for future development of this relations at this 50-year milestone?
Nicolas Warnery: Our two countries have developed a long-term partnership in various fields, including infrastructure, transportation, energy, and space. However, there are still some administrative barriers that have not been fully addressed. The French Embassy in Vietnam is actively working with relevant Vietnamese authorities to gradually solve these problems.
In recent years, France and Vietnam have expanded and further deepened the bilateral cooperation in health care, sustainable development, environment protection, digital economy, education and research, and defence – security. These fields represent the future of our partnership, and the two sides are committed to jointly addressing common challenges such as international crises, attacks against multilateralism, climate change, and sustainable and resilient agriculture development.
The French Embassy in Vietnam is working with Vietnamese authorities and businesses to find a common solution.
“Sharing culture”.
Reporter: Can you talk more about the slogan of “sharing culture” of the activities to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties?
Nicolas Warnery: About the “sharing culture” slogan, I would like to give a recent example. During the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the two peoples have shown their friendship, solidarity and mutual assistance. That spirit was reflected in Vietnam's donation of masks to France in 2020, then the aid package of vaccines of France for Vietnam through bilateral cooperation channels and the COVAX mechanism in 2021-2022.
Photo: The French Development Agency (AFD) has been present in Vietnam for nearly 30 years. (Photo: VietnamPlus) In 2023, we will coordinate with Vietnamese localities and sectors to transfer organisation technology so that in the following years, Vietnam can maintain activities such as light shows in Hue, and photo exhibitions in Hanoi. Previously, we helped Vietnam organise the Hue Festival and later, the event has been organised by Vietnam itself. The organisation was very successful, becoming a brand of Hue culture and tourism.
In addition, we will continue to support specialized training for Vietnamese experts to directly participate in the preservation of intangible cultural and architectural heritage. We are very concerned about this issue because it is through heritage that localities can develop tourism. As a result, hotels, restaurants, tourism businesses, and the local population will benefit, gradually developing tourism into an economic sector.
The French Embassy in Vietnam, the AFD, the French School of the Far East (EFEO), the French Institute and French localities have assisted Vietnam in preserving its heritage for many years.
For example, Toulouse city and the AFD have supported the Thang Long Heritage Conservation Centre in preserving the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi. Provins city cooperated with the Thang Long Imperial Citadel centre to develop a tourism promotion space. The Ile de France region has many cooperative activities related to the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature Complex) in Hanoi.
Teaching the French language at schools in Vietnam will contribute to tightening the relationship between the two peoples.
President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher (fifth from right) and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung (third from right) at the inauguration ceremony of the French Institute in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Reporter: Besides preserving heritage, the field of culture and creativity is an important axis of cooperation between Vietnam and France. Can you share more about this?
Nicolas Warnery: Vietnam needs to move towards the goal of developing the culture industry to generate economic growth. In the coming years, we will conduct projects related to movies, music, and comics.
At the LiveSpace programme initiated by the French Institute in Vietnam, we connected French, Vietnamese and Asian experts to propose ideas and solutions to develop the music industry in Vietnam and introduce Vietnamese music to international partners.
The cultural activities to be held this year will provide opportunities to promote mutual understanding between Vietnam and France, and highlight all that we share. I think 50 years is just a starting milestone for a long journey of bilateral friendship in the future.
Reporter: Thank you for your conversation!
