Overseas Vietnamese writer Tran Thu Dung, the author of the book. Photo: VNA

More than 200 streets and landmarks in Vietnam and France that carry imprints of history of the relations between the two countries have been spotlighted in a book titled “Dau an Phap-Viet qua ten nhung con duong (French-Vietnamese imprints through the names of roads) by overseas Vietnamese writer Tran Thu Dung, VNA reported Tuesday.

The 292-page book is introduced on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 10-year of the bilateral strategic partnership.

It shows great efforts of the author in collecting data and exploring the history of names of locations with their names attached to France and Vietnam.

President Ho Chi Minh's statue in Montreau, France. Photo: VNA

The origin of the names and stories in the process of naming streets in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat city (Lam Dong province) as well as those in Paris, Lyon and Marseilles are told in both Vietnamese and French, which go along with precious pictures and documents as well as the geographic locations, giving reader a deep insight of the streets and landmarks.

The book is printed in Vietnamese and French not only for readers of the two countries to understand but also to help them learn each other's languages.

Ho Chi Minh's space located in the Living History Museum of Montreuil City, which keeps important memorabilia from the years of Uncle Ho's revolutionary activities in France at the beginning of the 20th century, especially the room that recreates Uncle Ho's boarding house at the house at No. 9 Compoint Alley in Paris. Photo: VNA

The writer told VNA correspondents in Paris that as the names of the streets may change with the developments of the history, she wants to write the book to maintain a memory of the history, and contribute to fostering the friendship between the two peoples.

President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association in Eure & Loir region Gilbert Tenèze, one of the first to read the book, hailed the efforts of the author in promoting the friendship between the two countries, underlining that the book shows the sentiments that the two countries give each other.

District and city leaders take souvenir photos at the naming ceremony of Do Huu Vi square, June 29, 2022 in District 16 of Paris. Photo: VNA

Earlier in 2014, Dung also introduced a book on Vietnamese imprints in the names of streets in France. With this new work, besides a part of the old material, she has added roads not only in France but also in Vietnam. Therefore, the old book only had 199 roads bearing the name of Vietnam in France, in the new work, this number has increased to 208, of which there are 30 roads bearing French names in Vietnam.

"This also shows that the recent strategic cooperation relationship between the two countries has been increasingly strengthened," emphasised Dung.

For Nguyen Thai Son, chairman of Interface Francophone Association, the book's release is "in line with the trend of the times". Being both a citizen of France and also Vietnamese, he loves both peoples and wishes to bring Vietnam and France closer together for peace and social progress. He thinks readers should read this book and hope it will be reprinted many times when more and more streets in France will be named after Vietnam, and vice versa.

The cover of the book titled “Dau an Phap-Viet qua ten nhung con duong (French-Vietnamese imprints through the names of roads). Photo: VNA

Meanwhile, on April 10, over 40 photos highlighting the impressive beauty of Vietnam taken by renowned photographer Réhahn are being displayed at an exhibition that opened in Honfleur city in France’s Normandie region.

Impressionist photographer Réhahn, who he has been living in Vietnam for 12 years, said Vietnam is part of his life and Hoi An city in the central province of Quang Nam is where his career thrives. Therefore, he decided to choose his best photos on the landscapes and people of Vietnam to introduce to people in his homeland.

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