Overseas Vietnamese writer Trần Thu Dung, the author of the book. VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hà

HÀ NỘI — More than 200 streets and landmarks in Việt Nam and France that have been named after connections between the two countries have been spotlighted in a book titled Dấu ấn Pháp-Việt qua tên những con đường (French-Vietnamese Imprints Through the Names of Roads) by overseas Vietnamese writer Trần Thu Dung.

The 292-page book is introduced on the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and ten years of the bilateral strategic partnership.

It shows the great efforts of the author in collecting data and exploring the history of names of locations with their names attached to France and Việt Nam.

"All roads bear the imprint of history," she said.

"However, these roads might be replaced over time, therefore, I started taking notes when I discovered several roads with Vietnamese names existent in France."

The cover of the book:" Dấu ấn Pháp-Việt qua tên những con đường". Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Publishing House

Dung explained that there is much help to the gathering process, such as the information offered by friends and authorities, but also numerous challenges, as most of the names are tied to history.

Because of this, she always double-checks the information she collects, even if it includes a road that is too obscure to be located online or that seems unrelated to Việt Nam.

The origin of the names and stories in the process of naming streets in Hà Nội, HCM City and Đà Lạt City (Lâm Đồng Province) as well as those in Paris, Lyon and Marseilles are told in both Vietnamese and French, which go along with precious pictures and documents as well as the geographic locations, giving the reader a deep insight of the streets and landmarks.

The writer told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Paris that as the names of the streets may change with the developments of history, she wants to write the book to maintain a memory of the history and contribute to fostering the friendship between the two peoples.

The President of the France-Việt Nam Friendship Association in Eure & Loir region, Gilbert Tenèze, one of the first to read the book, hailed the author's efforts in promoting the friendship between the two countries, underlining that the book shows the sentiments that the two countries give each other.

Earlier in 2014, Dung also introduced a book on Vietnamese imprints in the names of streets in France. VNS