As home to the biggest number (674,000) of French-speaking people in Asia, Vietnam also celebrates the month-long events with a series of activities which include art performances, fashion shows and foods events. The inauguration ceremony was held in Hanoi.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc lauded the active role of the Francophone community in promoting cooperation for peace and development.
Vietnam highly appreciates the community's foreign policies of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification and active integration into the world. The country also supports the community's development in the Asia - Pacific region.
Vietnam has strived to make great efforts and practical contributions to the common development of the Francophone community. Those include effective cooperation projects over areas of language, trade, agriculture, environment and communications.
Vietnam officially joined the Francophone Community in 1979. The community is comprised of 274 million people in 80 countries across the world.
2016 marked a very special year for relations between Vietnam and the Francophone community. For the first time in 14 years, a Vietnamese high-level delegation led by State President Tran Dai Quang attended the Francophone Summit in Madagascar. This reaffirms Vietnam's commitment to the community's development and its position in the organization, especially in the Asia Pacific region.
Also at the celebration, the GADIF awards of the Francophone Ambassadors were presented to outstanding individuals who have made contributions to promote French in Vietnam.
Themed "Love and Share," Francophone Week aims to encourage the organisation of activities for young people. Participants will also enjoy performances by famous artists from Haiti, Wallonie-Bruxelles, Romania and Vietnam.
Francophone Week is an opportunity for those who love the language and culture of France to meet and exchange while honoring the cultural values, richness and diversity of the Francophone community in the country.
