Paris (VNA) – A delegation from the Vietnam - France Friendship and Cooperation Association (AACVF) led by Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, former Health Minister of Vietnam and Honorary President of the AACVF, paid a working visit to France from October 6 - 10 to seek stronger cooperation between the two countries in the fields of health care and pharmaceuticals.
Tien and Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, together with leaders of the Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), visited Sanofi Group's vaccine manufacturing plant, where they discussed cooperation in producing some Sanofi vaccines at the VNVC factory in Vietnam.
VNVC Chairman and CEO Ngo Chi Dung said that his company plans to build a vaccine and biologicals factory using cutting-edge technology and complying with the EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in Long An province. It prioritises cooperation with Sanofi towards manufacturing vaccines in Vietnam.
Tien, who is also a vaccine expert, said that the discussions demonstrate the rise of Vietnam's science sector and businesses in mastering advanced technologies and techniques for vaccine research and production, helping Vietnam ensure the self-sufficiency of vaccines in the future and reduce dependence on imports.
Ambassador Thang hailed the partnership between the VNVC and Sanofi, describing it as a continuation of the two countries' cooperation, especially in health care and vaccine production.
During the visit, the delegation, the Association of Vietnamese Youth and Students in France (UEVF), and representatives of FPT Software in the European country jointly held a seminar on Vietnamese youth's startups, during which participants shared their experience in launching new companies, difficulties facing them, and ways to navigate challenges.
Prf. Nguyen Lan Trung, Chairman of the Vietnam - France Friendship Association of Hanoi and Vice President of the AACVF, said that the sound traditional friendship and partnership between the two countries over the past 50 years is a favourable condition for the two sides to promote bilateral relations.
The AACVF's activities aim to help carry out cooperation between the two countries and open up market opportunities for businesses from both nations, Trung stated./.
