(VOV) - Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and French Minister of Foreign Trade Nicole Bricq cut the red ribbon inaugurating the France Year in Vietnam at a ceremony in Hanoi on Tuesday.

France Year in Vietnam begins

Minister Bricq said the opening ceremony marked the start of the Vietnam-France programme that lasts through to mid-2014 with a wide range of exchange activities to be held, ranging from economics to culture, arts, tertiary education, tourism, sports, architecture, fashion and design. For his part, Minister Anh recalled the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and France over the past 40 years, saying bilateral relations have developed comprehensively in all areas. Mr. Tuan Anh said Vietnam will work closely with France to successfully organise the France Year in Vietnam and the Vietnam Year in France between 2013 and 2014.

A ceremony to mark the 40^th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties was held in Hanoi yesterday. To date, France has been Vietnam’s top European partner with two way trade reaching 3.2 billion USD and 3.14 billion USD worth of Foreign Direct Investment. Both countries are implementing bilateral cooperative projects in infrastructure, energy, transportation, and aviation. French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Poirier said: “Vietnam has a special position in the minds of the French people both at present and in the past. We are celebrating the 40^th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, but in fact our relationship was established a long time ago. France understands the importance of the year 1973 in Vietnam’s contemporary history. That’s why we have decided to organize the France-Vietnam Year.”

The event was jointly organized by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-France Friendship Association.