Cultural cooperation – bright spot in Vietnam-France friendship
Over the past 50 years, since Vietnam and France established their diplomatic relations, cultural cooperation has contributed to creating favourable conditions to promote their cooperation in various fields, strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said on November 17 when meeting French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in Paris.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung (L) meets French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in Paris. (Photo: VNA)
Paris (VNA)🐷 – Over the past 50 years, since Vietnam and Franceestablished their diplomatic relations, cultural cooperation has contributed tocreating favourable conditions to promote their cooperation in various fields, strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between thetwo peoples, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said onNovember 17 when meeting French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in Paris.
The official highlighted that Vietnam is considered an active member with importantcontributions to the activities of the Francophone community. At themeeting, he spoke highly of the effective operation of two cultural centres – theFrench Institute in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France - asthey actively serve asa cultural bridge connecting the two peoples through diverseactivities. For her part,French Minister Rima Abdul Malak said that France and Vietnam have atraditional historical relationship, in which cultural cooperation is a brightspot, connecting the two peoples. She emphasisedthat France pays attention to and focuses on developing cultural and creativeindustries that bring high-quality values to the youth generations. The official proposedprogrammes to translate French literary books into Vietnamese and Vietnameseliterary books into French. She alsosuggested promoting cinema cooperation - an area that France gives muchattention to. The twoministers agreed to assign relevant agencies to develop a planning frameworkfacilitating the signing of cooperation documents on the occasion of the officialvisit by French leaders to Vietnam in 2024. On thisoccasion, she invited the Vietnamese Minister to the 19th Francophonie Summit inOctober 2024 to be hosted by France./.
The “Hai Phong – France Heritage” exhibition opened in the northern port city of Hai Phong on November 15, highlighting the city’s buildings bearing hallmarks of the French architecture.
A scientific seminar on promoting the value of archaeological heritage and an exhibition entitled “From the Underground to the Museum: A Journey of Artifacts” have been held by Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre in Toulouse city of France.
The Nguyen Dynasty's golden imperial seal of “Hoang de chi bao” (Treasure of the Emperor) was handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony held at the Vietnamese Embassy in France on November 16, said the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with Vietnam's permanent delegation to UNESCO in France, organised an art performance programme at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Paris on November 17.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung (L) meets French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in Paris. (Photo: VNA) 
