Paris (VNA) - Cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities is one ofthe pillars to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries,heard a seminar in Paris on June25.

The event was attended by representatives of Hanoi, Can Tho, Phu Yen and Quang Ngaiof Vietnam and those from France’s cities and organisations which have establisheddecentralised cooperation with Vietnamese localities.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Thiep affirmed thatVietnamese localities have demonstrated  their initiative international cooperation andare ready to accelerate their efforts to achieve higher efficiency.

The two sides have done a lot in the past and have many projects still toimplement, he noted.

Christophe Katsahian, Deputy Director of the International CooperationDepartment of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said one of France'spriorities was to run international cooperation projects to bring the mostbenefits to citizens.

Vietnameseand French localities can support each other for mutual development throughsuccessful projects, he said.

According to Katsahian, more and more French localities are seeking opportunitiesfor cooperation with Vietnam. Currently, more than 20 French localities are participatingin development cooperation projects with Vietnamese peers.

Thisform of cooperation offers huge value to France and strengthens theinstitutional capabilities of Vietnamese localities.

Anumber of effective cooperation models are  between Brest and Hai Phong, Val-de-Marne andYen Bai, Aquitaine and Thua Thien – Hue and Ile-de-France and Hanoi.

Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Commmitee said relationsbetween the capital city and Ile-de-France are an epitome of effective ties,especially in culture heritage preservation and development and urban planningand management.

On the occasion, the two localities signed an action programme for 2018-2021, focusingon the fields of development aid, expert exchange, direct investment,technology transfer, climate change adaptation, tourism, health, education,  high-tech agriculture, e-government and administration reform.

Participants of the seminar debated the possibilities of promoting bilateralcooperation.


Representativesfrom Can Tho, Quang Ngai and Phu Yen introduced projects requiring investment inthe localities, especially in tourism, hi-tech agriculture and food industry.

Meanwhile representatives from Choisy-le-roi said the city plans to implement acultural centre project named “Vietnam House on the banks of the Seine River”.

Accordingto participants from Seine-Saint-Denis, the province is working with Vietnam’s HaiDuong in environmental protection and wastewater treatment, trainingenvironmental engineers and treating waste in trade villages.

Jean-Claude Dardelet, Vice President of Toulouse city, took the occasion to detailpreparations for the 11th Vietnam-France locality cooperation conference,scheduled for 2019 in Toulouse.

Cooperation between localities of Vietnam and France (decentralisedcooperation) began in 1989 with the formation of Ile-de-France and Hanoipartnership.

Sincethe 1990s, this form of cooperation has been reinforced and developed, contributingto promoting friendship between the two countries’ localities.

Thefirst decentralised cooperation conference was held in 1996 in Lille, France. Since2005, the conference has been held alternately in the two countries’ provincesand cities every two or three years, aiming to strengthen the existing ties aswell as facilitate stronger partnerships among Vietnamese and French localities.-VNA