France’s national day marked in HCM City

Speaking at the event, President of the VFFA-HCMC Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung expressed her delight at the unceasing development of Viet Nam-France friendly relations and their cooperation across diverse spheres.

She noted that during the France visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in March, during which both sides expressed their wish to further deepen their strategic partnership and agreed to facilitate exchanges, while agreeing to strengthen high-level exchanges and meetings, and improve the effectiveness of dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.

She said the VFFA-HCMC has been effectively performing its function as a bridge for solidarity and friendship between HCMC citizens and those in French localities, through the implementation of France-funded development assistance projects and the organisation of festivals and music and film exhibitions.

In turn, Consul-General of France in HCMC Vincent Floreani highly appreciated the HUFO’s organisation of the celebratory get-together, which, he said, reflects the fine sentiments and the traditional friendship between the two countries’ people as a whole, and between HCMC and France in particular.

He pledged to work closely with the municipal VFFA to effectively launch cooperation programmes, promote trade, investment, cultural and art collaboration between the two sides, in order to contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and solidarity, while bringing about practical benefits for the two countries’ peoples.

Currently, France is among the leading economic partners of Viet Nam in the European Union (EU) and one of the largest providers of official development assistance to the Southeast Asian country. 

By the end of 2017, , France ranked third among European countries and 16th among 114 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam with 512 projects worth US$2.8 billion.

                                                                                                                By Vien Nhu