Paris (VNA) – Helene Luc, French Honorary Senator and Honorary President of the France–Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), hopes that General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam’s upcoming official visit to France will provide fresh momentum for the two countries' Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, turning longstanding friendship and bilateral commitments into concrete and practical cooperation.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) ahead of the visit, Luc said the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024 has created new momentum and opened up broader cooperation opportunities. The priority now, she stressed, is to swiftly translate agreements reached by the two countries into concrete outcomes.
The new framework paves the way for cooperation at all levels, from the central governments to regions, provinces and cities, but its potential has yet to be fully realised, she said.
More universities should establish partnerships, and French localities should strengthen ties with Vietnamese counterparts based on their respective economic strengths and cultural characteristics, she noted.
The AAFV has called on the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to step up high school student exchanges between the two countries, thus encouraging French-language learning in Vietnam and Vietnamese-language learning in France. She noted that such exchanges remain limited and have considerable room for expansion.
Regarding economic cooperation, Luc called for new programmes involving chambers of commerce and industry as well as Business France, France’s trade and investment promotion agency.
She said France, which is facing challenges from deindustrialisation and inequality, could benefit from closer collaboration in science, the economy, culture, health and defence with Vietnam, which is pursuing ambitious development goals and placing greater emphasis on science, high technology and digital technology.
The Honorary Senator expressed her hope that the visit will lead to concrete actions, enabling bilateral ties to quickly enter a new stage of development across areas.
Decisions reached by the two governments, she opined, should be translated into action with broader public participation, particularly by young people.
She described this as bringing diplomacy “to the streets, schools, museums, businesses, local authorities and associations”, stressing Vietnam–France ties should not be confined to state-to-state relations but should take deeper root in society through people-to-people exchanges and joint projects.
To promote such exchanges, Luc proposed designating 2027 as a "Year of France–Vietnam Cooperation and Exchanges”, with activities covering culture, healthcare, cuisine, science, handicrafts and peace. Recalling previous cross-cultural exchange years that generated around 100 initiatives, she said a similar programme could help bring bilateral ties closer to the people.
The AAFV has also proposed working with the Vietnamese Embassy and the Association of Vietnamese in France (UGVF) to organise a Vietnam Day, bringing together associations and around 60 organisations connected with Vietnam. It also hopes to resume economic meetings previously held in Paris, Lyon and Toulouse with the participation of chambers of commerce and Business France, she added.
Luc said people-to-people ties are an important foundation for these efforts, noting that tens of thousands of French visitors return from Vietnam with admiration for the country and its people.
Around 60 organisations in France are working to strengthen ties with Vietnam, and she expressed the hope that the top Vietnamese leader could meet representatives of these organisations during his visit, if his schedule permits.
She also proposed establishing a France–Vietnam youth exchange organisation modelled on France’s mechanism with Germany, enabling young people from both countries to visit and learn about each other’s countries with State support. Such a mechanism will promote youth links and contribute to the development of the Francophone community.
Luc voiced her expectation that the two countries will make their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership more substantive through concrete actions involving governments, localities and people, while continuing to strengthen their longstanding friendship./.
