On the afternoon of December 27, in Ha Noi, the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association held a ceremony to celebrate its 70th anniversary (1955-2025).
In her speech, Nguyen Thuy Anh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Head of the PCC’s Commission for Policies and Strategies, President of the Viet Nam-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, and President of the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, shared that 70 years ago, when the Indochina War had just ended, Viet Nam-France relations faced a great historical challenge.
It was in this context that, on July 2, 1955, the Viet Nam-France Friendship Association was established, reflecting the profound vision of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh; emphasising friendship between the people and considering foreign relations as an important part of Viet Nam’s foreign policy. The Association was formed from a very simple but enduring belief that people can understand each other and that understanding can heal.
Entering the era of integration, the Association has continuously innovated. The renaming to the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association (in 2009) clearly demonstrated the development direction from traditional friendship to increasingly substantive cooperation, closely linked to the progress of bilateral relations.
In particular, as Viet Nam and France successively upgraded their relationship to a Strategic Partnership (in 2013) and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (in 2024), the Association continued to play an active role in promoting cooperation in many fields.
At the same time, the Association is committed to continuing to work alongside the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations, and French-Vietnamese partners to cultivate a trustworthy, profound, sustainable, and future-oriented Viet Nam-France relationship, she emphasised.
At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State, Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, presented the Second Class Labour Order to the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association for its outstanding achievements in people-to-people diplomacy aimed at strengthening solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between Viet Nam and France, contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.
