(VNF)- Vietnam hosted a workshop in the Belgian city of Liege on Tuesday to promote its central city of Da Nang as a destination for holidaymakers from French-speaking countries the world over.

The event was organized within the framework of the 2nd French Language World Forum (FLWF) which is running from July 20 to 23.

The forum gathered over 1,500 delegates from the world over, including Vietnamese representatives, who shared their views and ideas on a “creative Francophone” community.

The workshop was part of a project that forges links between French-speaking tourists and French language students in Da Nang.

The initiative, called “Diem hen Phap ngu” (Francophone Rendezvous), has been launched on a pilot basis at the two facilities since March and will be expanded to a number of high schools from September on.

During the event, a wide array of communication materials, such as video clips and Facebook pages, was handed out to the participants, most of whom indicated their interest in the city and the tourism initiative.

According to Philippe Suinen, Director of the 2015 FLWF, the project is captivating and likely to enhance tourism and French language skills among young locals.

He stressed the initiative will hopefully impact positively on the entire community of over 280 million French speakers all over the world.

Da Nang City will be among 17 destinations for the Clipper Race, a biennial international yacht race which kicks off in London late August.

The coastal city paid £500,000 (US$780,432) to host the event as one of its 17 destinations.

The name of Da Nang will also appear on one of the race’s yachts, which means the Vietnamese city’s brand will be spotted at other destinations and countries where the yacht visits.

This year, the race welcomes 14 yachts from 12 teams that represent 12 countries.

It is slated to start its 11-month journey in London in late August, visiting 17 destinations and passing 138 countries and territories.

The yachts are scheduled to visit Vietnam in January or February next year./.

by VNF