Vietnam-France Friendship Association: Permanent, great and practical contribution
The Vietnam - France Friendship and Cooperation Association celebrated its 65th founding anniversary (July 2, 1955 – 2020) in a Hanoi ceremony on December 19. It was also honoured with a merit of certificate from the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) in recognition for its outstanding contributions to COVID-19 response.
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| On behalf of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Chairwoman Nguyen Phuong Nga awarded the certificate of merit to the Association's leaders. Photo: VUFO |
The association has spent the last 65 years to contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between peoples of Vietnam and France, said Chairwoman Tran Thi Kim Tien in her opening remarks. The association has played a part in the constant growth of the bilateral ties for peace, cooperation and development, she said.
She went on to say that in recent years, the Vietnam - France Friendship and Cooperation Association has organised a variety of activities to maintain close relations with France’s Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam as well as other French partners. It has also hosted a number of gatherings marking the two countries’ major events, workshops, photo exhibitions, French singing competitions and friendly football matches.
The association has raised donations and presented close to 2 tonnes of face masks and personal protection equipment to France which was among countries with the highest COVID-19 deaths when the pandemic first broke out globally, she continued.
Tien said the association will expand its network of member associations in the coming time to further cultivate the Vietnam-France relations.
In recognition of the positive contributions of the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, VUFO decided to award a Merit of Certificate to the Association for their many positive contributions in prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic.
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| Nguyen Phuong Nga, VUFO Chairwoman speaks at the event. Photo: VUFO |
"In the context of the complicated development of the epidemic, the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association has clearly shown its tradition of solidarity and mutual affection. The Association had actively mobilized organizations and individuals inside and outside the Association to contribute masks, medical protective gear, and anti-drop masks to send to friends and people of France. This gesture has been highly appreciated by French friends, embellishing the love of international friends for Vietnam," said Nguyen Phuong Nga, VUFO Chairwoman.
The Association has made enduring, great and practical contributions to help the French people become more and more knowledgeable about the country and people of Vietnam, cultivated the Vietnam-France friendship tree to unceasingly blooms and bears fruit. The people of the two countries enjoy the atmosphere of peace and cooperation. Vietnam - France relations from confrontation in history have become a sustainable strategic partnership today. The VUFO and France highly appreciated the contributions made by the Vietnam - France Friendship and Cooperation Association to the general development of the country as well as the bilateral relations in particular, added Nga.
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| The Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association led by its Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Tien on April 22 donated 51,000 medical masks to France to support the country in the fight against the coronavirus. |
Ambassador of France to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery, for his part, highly spoke of the association’s activities over the last 65 years and thanked Vietnamese people, particularly members of the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, for their donations to aid French people at the time of hardship.
The Embassy of France in Vietnam will continue supporting the association in organising more activities to further bolster the bilateral cooperation and friendship, Warnery pledged.
The association took the occasion to announce three new member organisations – the chapters at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi; Hospital K; and Hospital E and University of Medicine and Pharmacy under the National University-Hanoi.
| Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations in April 1973. Since the late 1980s, France has taken the lead among Western countries in building up their relationship and forgiving debt for Vietnam, helping to settle debts with its creditors who are members of the Paris Club. The two countries signed a joint statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-France strategic partnership during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to France in 2013. The positive political relations between the two countries are marked by high-level visits, particularly the visit to Vietnam by French President Francois Hollande in 2016 and the visit to France by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018. The two countries have maintained many cooperative mechanisms, notably the annual dialogue on security and defence strategy and the annual high-level dialogue on economy. Vietnam is the second country in ASEAN after Singapore that signed trade and investment agreements with the EU (EVFTA and EVIPA), more opportunities have emerged for stronger cooperation between enterprises from Vietnam and France. France is currently Vietnam’s 15th largest investors out of 138 countries and territories and the second largest in EU with total registered capital of USD 3.62 billion in 605 projects. FDI commitments to Vietnam in the January – September period totaled USD 21.2 billion, down nearly 19% year-on-year, while the disbursed amount stood at USD 13.76 billion, or a decline of 3.2% year-on-year. Such decline remains acceptable as the global FDI is projected to decline by 40% year-on-year this year due to the COVID-19 impacts. |
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