Vietnam Cultural Cooperation

Attending the meeting were Mr. Dinh Toan Thang, Vietnamese Ambassador to France, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, and Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet, Chief of Office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

At the meeting, Minister Nguyen Van Hung thanked the French Minister of Culture for the warm welcome to the delegation. Minister Nguyen Van Hung affirmed that cultural cooperation between the two countries has been going well over the years. Especially, through the activities of the two cultural centers. In 2009, the two countries signed an Agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on cultural centers. On that basis, the French Institute in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France have affirmed their legal status in the host country and are actively promoting their role as cultural bridges with many activities promoting the country and people of the two countries.

Minister Nguyen Van Hung highlighted the importance of the Vietnam Cultural Center in France and the French Institute in Vietnam, which organize cooperation activities, cultural exchanges, tourism promotion, and bridges between the two countries.

Minister Nguyen Van Hung shared that over the past 50 years, since the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France, cultural cooperation has contributed to creating favorable conditions to promote cooperation in other sectors and fields of the two countries. At the same time, strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, cooperation between the two sides has also expanded on multilateral channels.

Vietnam is considered an active member, making important contributions to the activities of the Francophone Community. Expressing satisfaction with the vibrant cultural and artistic exchange activities taking place in France and Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership,

Minister Nguyen Van Hung hopes that the working session between the two Ministers will promote the cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture to a new height, maximizing the potential and strengths in the fields of heritage conservation and development of cultural and fine arts industries...

Ms. Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture of France expressed her pleasure to welcome Minister of Culture Nguyen Van Hung and the delegation. She emphasized that France and Vietnam have a traditional historical relationship, cultural cooperation is a bright spot, connecting the friendship between the two nations.

France pays great attention to and focuses on developing cultural and creative industries, which have brought high-quality values to the young generation.

Recently, French President Macron attended the opening of the International Center for the French Language in Villers-Cotterets (France). This center will become a place to welcome writers and artists from French-speaking countries, including Vietnam, to exchange, compose and translate.

The French Minister of Culture proposed to implement a program to translate French literature into Vietnamese and Vietnamese literature into French. Cooperation in cinema is a field of primary interest to France through a series of specific cooperation activities such as investing in the film “Glorious Ashes”, co-produced by French people. This film also received major funding from the French Minister of Culture and Foreign Affairs through the CNC National Cinema Center. This film is the film representing Vietnam in the category of the 96th International Feature Film Awards 2024.

France is extremely proud that the film representing France in the Oscar for Foreign Language Film is a work by Vietnamese-born director Tran Anh Hung. In addition to supporting young Vietnamese producers to participate in the Cannes Film Festival Project Market, France invites Vietnam to participate in many other important film events such as the 45th Three Continents Film Festival in Nantes, France from November 24 to December 3, 2023. Here, a separate program will be held to introduce 20 classic Vietnamese films.

On this occasion, Ms. Rima respectfully invited and looked forward to the presence of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam at the 19th Francophone Summit in October 2024 hosted by France. The French Minister of Culture also proposed a cooperation program between the two countries in the field of handicraft design. The two sides could organize exhibitions, design weeks, and display products of one country in the other country...

Thanking France for its meaningful support, Minister Nguyen Van Hung proposed that the two sides consider signing a Cooperation Plan with specific activities in the field of Vietnamese-French culture, with priority focuses on cooperation in the creative cultural industry, including cinema, fine arts, handicrafts, books, art festivals, etc. This is considered a joint initiative of the two Ministers to effectively and substantially enhance the cooperative relationship.

At the end of the working session, the two Ministers agreed to assign the focal agencies of the two Ministries, the Department of International Cooperation - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Foreign Affairs Advisor of the French Minister of Culture, to soon develop a planning framework, aiming to sign the above important cooperation document on the occasion of the official visit of a high-ranking French leader to Vietnam in 2024.

PHUONG HUYEN

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