Officials visit the photo exhibition at Melia Hotel in Hanoi on April 14. Photo: VNA

The 12th conference on cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities kicked off in Hanoi on April 14.​ Cooperation between Vietnam and France as well as between localities of the two countries were spotlighted at a photo exhibition which opened at Melia Hotel on the same day, VNA reported.

On display are 120 photos which are arranged in chronological order, marking the diplomatic relations between the two countries and the milestones of cooperative ties. There are some pictures of cooperation activities between Vietnamese and French localities.

Notably, in 1993, at the invitation of French Prime Minister Édouard Balladur, Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet led a government delegation to pay an official visit to France. In 2002, at the invitation of French President Jacques Chirac, President Tran Duc Luong and his spouse paid an official friendship visit to France from October 28-31, marking the first state visit to the European country by a Vietnamese head of state since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1973. President Tran Duc Luong witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements between France and Vietnam in many fields.

On December 8 last year, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher who was paying an official visit to Vietnam. The same day, the two leaders attended a ceremony to kick off events to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and France.

Officials visit the photo exhibition at Melia Hotel in Hanoi on April 14. Photo: VNA

Vietnam and France officially established diplomatic relations on April 12, 1973. After 1975, Vietnam-France relations were strengthened in many fields, with an important milestone being then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's visit to France in April 1977.

In the 1980s, when the Southeast Asian country was imposed embargo, France was the only Western country to maintain relations with Vietnam through scientific and technical cooperation as well as cultural exchanges. Since 1989, France has taken the lead in stepping up relations with Vietnam, writing off debts and helping Vietnam settle debts with Paris Club member countries. In February 1993, French President François Mitterrand became the first Western leader to visit Vietnam since 1975.

France is the only country with which Vietnam shares a mechanism of periodic and rotating conferences on localities’ cooperation.

So far, a total of 18 Vietnamese and 38 French localities have engaged in 240 joint projects across various fields.

At the opening of the 12th Vietnam-France decentralised cooperation conference in the capital city on April 14. Photo: VNA

The 12th Vietnam-France decentralised cooperation conference is expected to create a new impetus for the relationship between the two countries.

The conference has been held every two or three years since 1996, with Vietnamese and French localities taking turns to host the event.

On the sidelines, there is a French festival, a Vietnam-France economic forum, an art programme, and many exhibitions, which put the bilateral ties in the limelight.

At the two-day event, four panel discussions are taking place, considering the topics of sustainable urban areas; environment, water and water treatment; culture, heritage and tourism; and smart city and digitisation.

Hanoi also organises of some city tours to take foreign visitors to popular places in the city, which have witnessed the long history between the two nations, including Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Temple of Literature, Old Quarter, and old French villas.

Cooperation between Vietnamese and French communities date back to the 1990s. The conference has been held every two or three years since 1996, with Vietnamese and French localities taking turns to host the event. It is a chance for both sides to discuss difficulties, evaluate the results in bilateral relations, and deliver feasible solutions to foster their partnerships, thus strengthening the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

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