~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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[Year 2002]

Vietnam president visits France

PARIS - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong arrived in France on Monday for a four-day visit, the first by a Vietnamese leader since the country established diplomatic relations with its former colonial ruler in 1973. Luong met for nearly two hours with French President Jacques Chirac ahead of a state dinner planned in the Vietnamese leader's honor. Before the talks, the Foreign Ministry said discussions would focus on trade, scientific exchanges and development aid.

France is Vietnam's largest investor outside of Asia and its largest non-Asian provider of development aid. In the past decade, trade between the two countries has increased eight-fold. Discussions were also to include ways to encourage the adoption of Vietnamese children by French couples. Before departing Thursday, Luong is also expected to see Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the presidents of the National Assembly and Senate as well as various business leaders. Since the countries established diplomatic ties, two French presidents have visited Vietnam, which was once a key part of colonial French Indochina. The late Francois Mitterrand visited in 1993, and Chirac traveled there in 1997.

The Associated Press - October 29, 2002