French Senate President Gérard Larcher and Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng inaugurated the new facility of the French Institute in Việt Nam on Thursday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Kiên

HÀ NỘI — French Senate President Gérard Larcher attended a ceremony in Hà Nội on December 8 to inaugurate the new headquarters of the French Institute in Việt Nam, as part of his ongoing official visit.

Gérard Larcher said that the institute serves as a pillar for cultural exchange between France and Việt Nam, through the organisation of events in all fields, from cinematography to music and performing and visual arts.

The inauguration is a new start for the institute's activities and opens opportunities for the institute in relations with Vietnamese partners, while strengthening links and cultural and linguistic exchanges, he added.

Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng said that this event marks a new development of the institute after 18 years of operating in Việt Nam, and begins celebrations of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2023, co-chaired by Gérard Larcher and his Vietnamese counterpart Vương Đình Huệ earlier the same day.

He expressed his belief that in the future, the Việt Nam Cultural Centre in France and the French Institute in Việt Nam will continue to promote the achieved results and act as a bridge connecting the two peoples and bringing them closer together, contributing to promoting the Việt Nam-France strategic partnership. — VNS