A new branch of the French Cultural Centre L'Espace officially opened on April 6^th, on the campus of the Hanoi University of Architecture, Ha Dong district, Hanoi, to serve as a bridge to support the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and France.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary at the event.

Addressing the event, French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary highlighted the great significance of the opening ceremony in the context of the celebration of the International Francophonie Day.

He expressed his hope that the centre would contribute to promoting teaching and learning French in Vietnam in particular and in the world in general.

The opening of the branch is also a part of a bilateral cooperation agreement between Vietnam and France that was signed during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to France last March, he added.

The branch has been in operation for six months, attracting 213 students.

The branch plans to not only teach French but also become a place to meet and exchange, as well as introduce the French culture to Vietnamese people.

Delegates cut ribbon to open the new branch of the French Cultural Centre L'Espace.

On the occasion, the French Cultural Centre L'Espace awarded a prize to the winning students at the Francophone spelling contest, which attracted 55 contestants.

Vietnam and France have exchanged and shared experience with each other in culture for a long time, creating a close relationship between the two peoples. The cultural exchanges between the two countries have been increasingly developed.

France allocates around EUR 5 million for cultural cooperation with Vietnam each year, particularly in support of the activities of French culture centres in Hanoi (L’Espace), Ho Chi Minh City (Institute of Cultural Exchange with France – IDECAF), Thua Thien – Hue and Da Nang.

An agreement on cultural centres signed by the two Governments in November 2009 has created favourable conditions for Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France. France is the only European country in which Vietnam has formed a cultural centre./.

VNF