Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang addresses the symposium. (Photo: VNA)Paris (VNA) - Asymposium entitled "France-Vietnam 1973-2023: From historical legacies tothe challenges of the 21st century", was organised on March 31 and April 1by Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 University in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassyin France, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership between the two countries.
At the event, which was held in virtual and face-to-face forms, experts agreed that France has always been one ofVietnam's leading partners in Europe and the world as well. It was also amongthe countries that played an important role in the internationalintegration of Vietnam. With the support of France, the seventh Francophone Summit in Hanoi in 1997 was thefirst multilateral event that Vietnam had hosted with the participation of manyheads of state and government.
The signing of the Vietnam-Francestrategic partnership in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary ofdiplomatic ties marked a milestone in the friendship between the twocountries, and provided a new impetus for bilateral cooperation and their joint efforts forpeace and sustainable development.
According to Professor Pierre Journoud from the Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 University, this symposium is an opportunity to reviewimportant milestones in the relations between the two countries in allareas.
He said discussions at the symposium looked at all aspects of the diplomatic ties between France and Vietnam from political and strategic to economic and cultural, adding that the event was also a chance toidentify weak points and obstacles in the bilateral relationship, so as to putting forthsolutions to them and build balanced these relations in the time to come.
Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toàn Thang said that the event's topics covered many fields ranging from economy, politics, culture, health and higher education to environment, reflecting the diversity of Vietnam-France cooperationtoday.
At the event.( Photo: VNA)The presentations and ideasat the seminar appreciated the potential and strengths of the relationship betweenthe two countries, and also touched on the challenges that both parties must overcome,he said, adding that it offered an opportunity to explore new orientations in theirrelations in the times to come.
The diplomat said he hopes researchers, activists and local authorities, in particular those in Montpellier, will make further contributions to Vietnam-Francerelations.
Within the framework of theevent, the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France held a display of photos of Vietnam's economic and tourism potentials as well as the beauty of sea and islands of the country./.
