Vietnam Strengthens Relations with Nantes City in France

Deputy Mayor of Nantes city Aymeric Seassau and Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang. Photo: VNA

The Vietnamese Ambassador to France, Dinh Toan Thang, recently undertook a working visit to Nantes, a western city of the European country. This visit was conducted with the aim of fostering cooperation with French localities, as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

Upon receiving the Ambassador, Deputy Mayor of Nantes, Aymeric Seassau, praised Vietnam’s impressive economic growth and expressed his city’s desire to explore potential economic collaborations and establish twinning relationships with Vietnamese localities.

He emphasized the energy of the Vietnamese community in the Loire-Atlantique region and the Vietnam – Loire-Atlantique Friendship Association, who have organized a variety of cultural, sporting, and tourism events to help the local population gain insight into Vietnam, which he portrayed as a forward-looking, modern nation with a thriving economy.

On this occasion, the official presented Thang with the original editions of two local newspapers from November 1968, which contained articles expressing solidarity with Vietnam in its struggle against American imperialism.

At a working session with the member enterprises of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Loire-St Nazaire region, Ambassador Thang presented an overview of Vietnam’s economic development, highlighted the country’s demands, and expressed a desire to collaborate with French companies in the region.

Companies from major sectors like shipbuilding, healthcare infrastructure building, mechanics, agriculture, and food industry expressed their interest to gain more knowledge about the business and investment climate, opportunities, and possibilities in the Southeast Asian nation.

Deputy Mayor of Nantes city Aymeric Seassau (L) presents Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang with the original versions of two local newspapers that were issued in November 1968 and featured articles showing support for Vietnam in the fight against the US imperialists. Photo: VNA

Talking to VNA, Ambassador Thang expressed that the French partners and businesses showed an eagerness to strengthen economic relations with Vietnam to meet the demands of both countries.

He perceived that remarkable achievements in bilateral relations over the last 50 years provide an invaluable basis for fostering economic ties, highlighting that both countries hold immense potential and complementary advantages.

Local leaders are hopeful to bolster the connection between the two countries through collaboration between the Nantes administration and their Vietnamese counterparts. This collaboration could bring about positive changes, as both nations could benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences, the diplomat remarked.

At the Vietnam – Loire-Atlantique Friendship Association. Photo: Ha Nguyen

During his journey, the diplomat had the opportunity to meet with members of the Vietnam-Loire-Atlantique Friendship Association (AVLA) and also visited a remarkable photo exhibition that showcased the stories of Vietnamese women.

The esteemed diplomat heartily welcomed the AVLA Association’s initiative to host a Vietnam Festival in honor of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France. He expressed his belief that this event will serve as an exceptional platform to strengthen understanding and foster exchanges between the people of both nations, as well as the overseas Vietnamese community in Nantes.

He highlighted the successful 12th conference on decentralised cooperation between French and Vietnamese localities that took place last April, urging the administration and enterprises of Nantes and the AVLA to take more initiatives and launch more projects to further cooperation with Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Ambassador visits the photo exhibition “Vietnamese Women: Tradition and Modernity”. Photo: Ha Nguyen

France is ranked 16th out of the 143 countries and territories that have invested in Vietnam, with investments totaling more than USD 3.8 billion. Last year, two-way trade between the two countries reached USD 5.33 billion, with Vietnam’s exports to France valued at USD 3.7 billion.

France is recognized as one of Vietnam’s earliest and most significant sources of official development assistance (ODA) in Europe. The Vietnamese government has been an active and responsible participant in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region, while France is a major member of the European Union. Both countries are also members of the Francophone community and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).