French national day marked

VGP - The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations and the Viet Nam-France Friendship Association of HCM City has held a ceremony to mark the 227th French National Day (July 14), better known internationally as Bastille Day.

July 12, 2016 10:55 AM GMT+7

The event drew the attendance of guests from local media, state agencies, diplomatic missions, and the French community in the southern city.

Speaking at the event, deputy chairwoman of the association Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung highlighted the growing friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Viet Nam and France in recent years, with the two countries having elevated relations to a strategic level under the motto “traditional friendship, comprehensive, long-lasting and reliable cooperation in the 21st century”.

HCM City has set up fruitful cooperation with France’s Rhone Alpes region and the city of Lyon, she noted.

Emmanuelle Ly Batallan, French Consul General in HCM City, said that the free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the European Union, which will come into effect in 2018, will open up more economic opportunities for both countries.

Viet Nam and France signed a joint statement on upgrading their relations to a strategic partnership in Paris on September 25, 2013.

By Vien Nhu