Paris (VNA) – Vietnam has consistently been an active and responsible member which has made important contributions to the development of the Francophone community, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of the President of Vietnam to the Permanent Council of La Francophonie, has affirmed.
The participation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam in the 20th Francophonie Summit reflects Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to cooperation with the Francophone community and opens up opportunities to further expand multifaceted ties with other member countries.
In an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Paris ahead of the summit, scheduled for November 15–16 in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, Anh said the Francophone community has developed an extensive cooperation network. Beyond the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), which comprises 90 members and observers, its activities span parliamentary cooperation, higher education, research, local-level partnerships, culture, sports, media and professional networks.
In line with its policy of strengthening multilateral diplomacy and international integration in the new context, Vietnam has actively and substantively participated in almost all priority areas of the community, while promoting multifaceted cooperation to serve national interests and reinforce its position as one of the OIF’s important members.
Since 2020, she noted, the OIF has implemented more than 100 activities and projects supporting Vietnam, with total funding of approximately 2.7 million EUR (nearly 3 million USD), focusing on French-language teaching, education in French, trade, investment, sustainable tourism, women's empowerment and climate change response. The OIF and other Francophone partners have also supported French-language training and capacity building for Vietnamese personnel participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
In the economic field, Vietnam took the initiative to make this area a pillar of Francophone cooperation at the seventh Francophonie Summit, held in Hanoi in 1997. Building on this role, it became the first country to host an OIF-organised Francophone economic promotion delegation in 2022, followed by another in 2025. These visits provided opportunities for Vietnamese and international businesses to connect and establish collaboration agreements, particularly targeting African markets.
Cooperation in sustainable development has also delivered practical results. The OIF has helped Vietnam promote sustainable tourism, preserve natural and cultural heritage, create jobs and strengthen the economic capacity of women, young people and local communities. Notably, a project has supported thousands of ethnic minority women in Dien Bien province in developing livelihoods, crafts and community-based tourism.
Vietnam has also actively contributed to the implementation of the 2023–2030 Strategic Framework on Francophone Community Cooperation and efforts to reform and modernise the OIF, according to the ambassador.
The National Assembly, ministries, sectors and localities have proactively expanded cooperation with Francophone partners. In 2025, the Vietnamese legislature hosted the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) Executive Committee’s meeting and the Francophone Parliamentary Forum on sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate change adaptation in Can Tho city, while Hue city hosted the 45th General Assembly of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF).
Vietnam has regularly sent young artists and athletes to the Games of La Francophonie, held every four years. The country is currently running for the Vice-Chair of the OIF’s Economic Commission for the 2027–2029 term, with a view to further promoting Francophone economic cooperation and contributing to the development of the Francophone economic and digital strategies for the period starting in 2028.
These proactive engagements have affirmed Vietnam’s position as an active and responsible member making significant contributions to the Francophone community globally and in the Asia-Pacific region. Its role has been highly appreciated by member countries and OIF leaders. Vietnam is also home to the OIF's Asia-Pacific Regional Office and the Francophone Regional Centre for Asia-Pacific (CREFAP), stated Anh.
Regarding the significance of General Secretary and President To Lam’s participation in the 20th Francophonie Summit, the diplomat stressed that the high-level Vietnamese delegation’s participation is an important step in implementing Politburo Resolution No. 06 on the implementation of the foreign policy set out at the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the strategic resolutions adopted by the Party Central Committee and the Politburo. It also reaffirms Vietnam’s consistent commitment to cooperation with the Francophone community.
Under the theme “Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability”, the summit will provide an opportunity for Vietnam to advance its priorities and shared Francophone concerns regarding peace, security and development, and upholding the UN Charter, international law and effective, inclusive and solidarity-based multilateralism.
Anh added that the event will also enable Vietnam to reaffirm its solidarity and friendship with Francophone countries and its desire to strengthen cooperation and promote the voice and interests of developing nations. Through the summit, Vietnam will convey its foreign policy, international integration and national development orientations in the new era, while highlighting its recent socio-economic achievements, thereby helping enhance its international standing.
Bilateral meetings between the General Secretary and President and leaders of other countries on the sidelines of the summit are expected to help deepen cooperation in politics, diplomacy, security, defence, investment, trade, science, technology, innovation, culture and people-to-people exchanges, the ambassador said.
Vietnam will focus on strengthening ties with strategic partners and key Francophone members, particularly France and Canada, while expanding connections with others, especially African nations with which it seeks closer relations but has had fewer opportunities for high-level exchanges. During discussions at the OIF headquarters in Paris, many countries expressed their interest in learning from Vietnam’s socio-economic development experience, Anh shared.
With a combined population of approximately 2.8 billion and accounting for 16.5% of global GDP and around 20% of world trade, the Francophone community represents an important framework for Vietnam to promote cooperation in support of its fast and sustainable development goal.
The 20th summit and the FrancoTech business forum on innovation and creativity, to be organised on this occasion, will offer opportunities for Vietnam to showcase its economic strengths, expand its network of partners, connect businesses and improve access to Francophone markets. Africa, in particular, is emerging as a region with considerable cooperation potential in telecommunications, mineral resources, energy, agriculture, processing technology, infrastructure and digital transformation.
Alongside political and economic activities, Vietnam will participate in the Francophone Village, helping promote mutual understanding and exchanges while introducing its people, culture and history to international visitors.
The ambassador went on to say that the Vietnamese delegation will actively contribute to shaping the Francophonie’s future cooperation priorities, focusing on peace, security and stability; French-language teaching and education in French; economic cooperation and sustainable development; science, technology and innovation; and the protection of linguistic and cultural diversity, particularly in the age of artificial intelligence.
The top Vietnamese leader’s presence will also provide fresh momentum for Francophone cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in areas of regional priority such as French-language education, economic collaboration and sustainable development, contributing to shared prosperity among member countries, she added./.
VNA
