Vietnam makes imprints on Francophone community

The International Francophone Day (March 20) offers an opportunity for the Francophone community to honour its common values and the desire shared by French-speaking people to live and cooperate in cultural persity.

Over the past years, Vietnam has made continuous efforts to contribute to promoting the image and presence of the French-speaking community in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.

The Southeast Asian nation official joined the International Organisation of La Francophone (OIF) in 1970, and was elected to important positions of the organisation, such as Chair of the Permanent Council of the Francophone (CPF) in 1996, Chair of the Francophone Ministerial Conference (CMF) in the 1996-1997 tenure, Chair of the Francophone Summit for 1997-1998, Vice President of the CPF’s financial and administrative committee for 2009-2011 and 2011-2013, Chair of CPF’s cooperation and programme committee for 2013-2015, member of the executive council of the Association of Francophone Universities for 2013-2017 and 2017-2021, and Chair of the Network of Structures and Institutions in charge of Francophone in Asia-Pacific (RESIFAP) for 2013-2016.

Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Thi Hoang Mai was appointed by the OIF General Secretary as head of the Francophone representative office in West Africa in September 2020. She is the first Asian to head a regional OIF office overseas.

At the OIF, Vietnam has raised many initiatives to promote cooperation and enhance dialogues among its member countries in the community. The participation of high-ranking Vietnamese leaders in Francophone summits demonstrates the importance the country attaches to the Francophone community.

The most obvious imprint of Vietnam lied with the seventh Francophone Summit in Hanoi in November 1997, through which Vietnam made remarkable contributions to the institutionalisation of political activities, and promoting cooperation in economy, apart from politics, culture-language and education-training.

In March 2019, Vietnam for the first time held the celebration of International Francophone Day with the theme of “Couleurs Francophones” (Francophone Colours) to promote and introduce the community as well as its goals and values, and Vietnam’s role and contributions.

As Chair of the OIF’s economic committee, Vietnam successfully coordinated the drafting of the Francophone Economic Development Strategy for 2020-2025. The country was also the first stop of a Francophone business delegation in a series of activities to implement this strategy.

Various activities marking 2024 International Francophone Day

2024 is an important year for the Francophone Community, marked by the organisation of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Francophone Summit in Villers-Cotterêts (France). The year also marks the 30th founding anniversary the OIF’s Asia-Pacific Office.

The OIF, the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Vietnam (GADIF), Vietnamese agencies and French-speaking partners across the country have prepared a cultural programme focusing on the theme of “Create, innovate and do business in French” selected for the Francophone Summit.

In Vietnam, a ceremony was held on March 20 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to observe the International Francophone Day, with the participation of representatives from the Government, agencies, GADIF members, universities and partners.

The embassies of Canada, France and Switzerland and the Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation will organise a free movie screening within the framework of the 14th Francophone Film Festival from March 22-27 at the Hanoi-based Vietnam National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio and at DCINE Ben Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City.

The French Embassy in Vietnam organised a “Relay around the world” on March 14 to honour sports and the French-speaking community in daily life in Vietnam./.