Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang and Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van joined officials of the local administration at the event, which was part of the Summer Festival 2021 in the tourist site.
Addressing the festival's opening ceremony, Ambassador Toan said that the selection of Vietnam as the honorary guest at the event for the first time showed the warm sentiments that the French locality gives Vietnam as well as evidence of the sound Vietnam-France friendship, contributing to deepening the bilateral strategic partnership and the partnership among localities of the two countries.
For his part, La Plagne Tarentaise Mayor Jean-Luc Boch shared that he is impressed by the diverse culture of Vietnam, expressing hope to foster cooperation with localities of Vietnam, especially in trade and tourism. With more than ten booths introducing Vietnamese cuisine and traditional craft goods, the Vietnamese Festival drew a large number of tourists and local visitors.
Many activities were held in the framework of the festival, including a conference and film screening on the traditional culture and foods of Vietnam, along with performance of traditional music instruments, costumes, martial art and dragon dance. On the occasion, the Vietnamese Culture Centre in France also held a photo exhibition introducing the nation and people of Vietnam, while the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines brought its tourism promotion programmes.
Roland Beaumont, Chairman of the Asia New Generation – Vietnam, said the organisation of the festival met with various difficulties in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was made able thanks to the support of La Plagne Tarentaise authorities and the sponsorship of Vietnam Airlines. He said the third Vietnamese Festival will be held in Paris in summer 2022. The annual festival was first held in 2019. Last year, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled.
