French Ambassador to Viet Nam Bertrand Lortholary attended the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon to open the new L’Espace.

Addressing the event, French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary highlighted the great significance of the opening ceremony in the context of the celebration of the International Francophonie Day.

He expressed his hope that the centre would contribute to promoting teaching and learning French in Viet Nam in particular and in the world in general.

The opening of the branch is also a part of a bilateral co-operation agreement between Vietnam and France that was signed during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to France last March, he added.

The branch has been in operation for six months, attracting 213 students. The branch plans to not only teach French but also become a place to meet and exchange, as well as introduce the French culture to Vietnamese people.

On the occasion, the French Cultural Centre L'Espace awarded a prize to the winning students at the Francophone spelling contest, which attracted 55 contestants.

Earlier, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has just paid an official visit to France from March 25 to 27.

General Secretary Trong said he believed that the positive outcomes of the visit, with the signing of many cooperation documents in various spheres, will open a new period for relations between the two countries, while working to accelerate bilateral cooperative ties in a more vigorous, comprehensive and effective manner, for the sake of the two countries’ people, as well as for peace, stability, cooperation, and development.