The event showcases photos and documents featuring co-operation between the two cities in preserving and promoting the values of Hanoi’s Old Quarter over the past two decades, including projects to restore Kim Ngan Temple in Hang Bac Street, renovate houses at 51 Hang Bac and 87 Ma May Street, and research the planning of the Ton Duc Thang-Nguyen Trai route.
The Old Quarter of 36 streets is an urban heritage reflecting the establishment and development of the capital city of Hanoi. Since 1995, maintenance and renovation work has been implemented on the ancient streets.
In 1996, the Hanoi People’s Committee and Toulouse’s authorities signed a co-operative document on the preservation and promotion of heritage values, with heritage research and restoration projects in the Old Quarter as a mark in the relations between the two sides.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Chairman of Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan noted that the Hanoi-Toulouse ties have contributed actively to economic and socio-cultural development of the capital city, including Hoan Kiem district.
Through the exhibition, people from Vietnam and France will have a better understanding of the efforts made by Hanoi as well as the support of the French government and Toulouse city in preserving and promoting the old town’s heritage values, he added.
For his part, Deputy Mayor of Toulouse Jean-Claude Dardelet spoke highly of Hanoi people’s contributions to the co-operation process between the two cities. The French people as a whole and the citizens of Toulouse in particular have always been very fond of Vietnamese people, he said.
The exhibition takes place as French President François Hollande has recently concluded his state visit to Vietnam, offering an occasion for both sides to review bilateral relations in the past and discuss orientations for co-operation in the future.
