Vietnam, France shore up people-to-people exchanges

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a get-together in HCM City on July 13 to celebrate France’s Bastille Day on July 14.

At the get-together (Photo: VNA)

President of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association in HCM City Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung said the association has implemented various friendly exchange programmes and people-to-people dialogues with France, contributing to reinforcing and developing the bilateral strategic partnership.

Given the complex developments of COVID-19 in France, the association’s central committee presented 51,000 medical masks to the country.

It also donated 25,750 medical and anti-bacterial masks to French people to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dung said the association wants to cooperate with the French Consulate General in HCM City and the French community to organise people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to reinforcing and developing sound relations between the two peoples.

Vincent Floreani, French Consul General in HCM City, affirmed that the French Government and people attach great importance to promoting good relations with Vietnam, in particular the rapport between French localities and HCM City.

He took the occasion to also thank the Vietnamese Government and people, including organisations and people in HCM City, for sharing and supporting the French people in the fight against COVID-19.

The French Consulate General in HCM City will ceaselessly work to promote relations, especially in education, culture, and science and technology, the diplomat added.

Over the past 30 years, the Vietnam-France Friendship Association in the city has called on non-governmental and foreign organisations to implement nearly 500 community development projects and support needy people in 51 of Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces.

Source: VNA