Viet Nam, France boost local linkages
VGP - The 12th Viet Nam-France decentralized cooperation conference began in Ha Noi on April 14 to discuss ways to boost sustainability and create opportunities for business and cultural exchanges among localities of the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang
The event drew the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Ha Noi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung, Chairman of the Ha Noi municipal People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, Ambassador for Local Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Paul Guihaumé and Chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs Catherine Deroche.
The three-day event also attracts over 800 delegates from 50 Vietnamese localities and 12 French peers.
Under the theme “Decentralized Cooperation: Driving force for recovery and sustainable and inclusive development post-COVID-9”, the event is among major activities held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership.
High on the agenda will be discussions dealing with sustainable urban areas, the environment, water resource and water treatment, culture, heritage and tourism, smart cities, and digitization.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang highly spoke of the conference as an important channel for localities to boost people-to-people exchanges as well as a unique feature in the bilateral ties as France is the only country having established a local-level cooperation mechanism with Viet Nam on a national scale.
He expected that the conference would figure out feasible proposals and measures to open up new cooperative fields between the two countries.
History of the Viet Nam-France decentralized cooperation
Decentralized cooperation between the two sides dates back to 1989 when Ha Noi set up a partnership with the Ile-de-France region.
In June 2018, a joint action plan was signed for the period 2018-2021, involving new cooperation projects with the capital of Vietnam in the field of innovation and research.
In February 2022, Ha Noi and the Ile-de-France region signed cooperation plans for the period 2022-2025, focusing on planning and urban management, the French region's strengths.
The local-to-local partnerships between Vietnamese and French municipal authorities have gained remarkable achievements in the past 30 year. So far, over 33 Vietnamese localities have built up partnership relations with 22 French partners via 55 projects and cooperative deals.
Viet Nam has hosted three conferences on the Viet Nam-France decentralized cooperation in the ancient city of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, and the two major cities of Hai Phong and Can Tho. The cooperation model is considered one of the most-developed provincial cooperation between the two nations regarding the number of partners and the value of financial commitments.
The conference is held every three years, with Vietnamese and French localities taking turns hosting the event. It is the chance for both sides to discuss difficulties, evaluate the results in bilateral relations, and deliver feasible solutions to foster their partnerships, thus strengthening the diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and France./.
