Vietnam
2018 full of special events in Vietnam-France ties: Ambassador
Highlighting the “specialness” of the relationship in the year 2018, Ambassador Bertrand Lortholary said there were two high-level exchanges in the same year.
2018 has been a year full of milestones and special events for the relations between Vietnam and France, French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary has said.
At the launching of a book reviewing the 45 years of the bilateral relationship (1973-2018) in Hanoi on Thursday evening, the ambassador stressed that the two nations in 2018 also celebrated five years of the strategic partnership, making the year more meaningful.
Highlighting the “specialness” of the relationship in the year 2018, Bertrand Lortholary said there were two high-level exchanges in the same year. General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong visited France in March, and French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was welcomed in Hanoi in November.
The French ambassador noted that agreements worth over EUR20 billion were signed during those two visits. Not many countries could sign deals with that total value with Vietnam in 2018, indicating the “special relationship” between Vietnam and France.
To make the relationship more significant, up to 40 cultural events with strong national identity were held. Among them, the Balade en France, held late in December at the pedestrian street in the heart of Hanoi, stood out, drawing the attention of some 100,000 visitors, he added.
The massive audience at the Balade en France showed the special interest of the Vietnamese public in the Vietnam-France relations, serving as the foundation for further development of the relationship, he stressed.
He attributed the thriving bilateral ties to support from government and institutions in both countries as well as the efforts of the respective French and Vietnamese embassies in Hanoi and Paris. And the most significant events in the bilateral relationship in 2018 and over the last 45 years have been compiled in the “France-Vietnam 2018” book, he added.
French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary speaks at the launch of the boo. Photo: Minh Anh
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Highlighting the “specialness” of the relationship in the year 2018, Bertrand Lortholary said there were two high-level exchanges in the same year. General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong visited France in March, and French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was welcomed in Hanoi in November.
The French ambassador noted that agreements worth over EUR20 billion were signed during those two visits. Not many countries could sign deals with that total value with Vietnam in 2018, indicating the “special relationship” between Vietnam and France.
The "France-Vietnam 2018” book. Photo: Minh Anh
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The massive audience at the Balade en France showed the special interest of the Vietnamese public in the Vietnam-France relations, serving as the foundation for further development of the relationship, he stressed.
He attributed the thriving bilateral ties to support from government and institutions in both countries as well as the efforts of the respective French and Vietnamese embassies in Hanoi and Paris. And the most significant events in the bilateral relationship in 2018 and over the last 45 years have been compiled in the “France-Vietnam 2018” book, he added.
