Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

Ms Ngan’s visit takes place when the two countries are holding the 11^th conference on cooperation between localities and celebrating the 100^th anniversary of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc’s Claims of the Annamese People made before the Versailles conference. The two countries have increased high-level visits to boost bilateral cooperation in all fields and deepened their strategic partnership. The visit is the follow-up of a high-level dialogue framework between leaders of the two countries, which was opened from the official visit to France by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong a year ago, and then the official visit to Vietnam by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in November 2018. The top Vietnamese legislator will attend the closing ceremony of a cooperation conference between the two countries’ localities in Toulouse. Her presence shows the Vietnamese Party and State’s wish to boost bilateral economic ties, including relations between the localities.

She is also scheduled to take part in several meetings between parliamentarians and entrepreneurs, which are considered chances to step up trade exchange, particularly as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is about to be approved and signed this year. A series of activities to promote parliamentary cooperation – one of the important pillars of bilateral relations – will be held within the framework of the visit.