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

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]

France Viêt Nam frienship association to enter 40th year with success

HANOI - Established in 1961, the France-Viet Nam Friendship Association has made positive contributions to fostering good relations between the two countries in many domains, including politics, culture, economy, society and humanitarian affairs. The association is located in Montreuil City, close to Paris, one of France's localities that have maintained strong solidarity and cooperation with Viet Nam.

It gave active support to the Vietnamese people's struggle for national independence and current post-war construction as well as the development of friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries and within the Francophone Community. As one of its goals, the association issues quarterly bulletins to keep French readers abreast of the latest and reliable news on Viet Nam, using electronic editions of Nhan Dan (People), Viet Nam's national daily as a major source of information. The quarterly deals with every aspect of Viet Nam, ranging from economic developments and social affairs to culture and education, and looks at both the good and the bad. The association has also held seminars on Viet Nam, including one on maritime resources in June 2000. Another is scheduled for early next year.

A decade ago, the association set up a resource centre on Viet Nam that now includes a large library with more than 400 book titles, mainly in Vietnamese, which many French people have found very useful when looking for information on contemporary Viet Nam. In addition, the association has raised funds to help Viet Nam heal wounds of wars, and funded the construction of a school in the flood-stricken province of Thua Thien-Hue last year.

More importantly, the association has exerted an influence on the policy-making process of French authorities, particularly the Government, with a view to developing external policies suitable for Viet Nam and maintaining mutually beneficial cooperative ties between the two countries.

Vietnam News Agency - August 14, 2000.