HÀ NỘI — French President Francois Hollande addressed students and lecturers at the Việt Nam National University-Hà Nội (VNU-Hanoi) yesterday as part of his three day State visit.    

France and Việt Nam have weathered some tragic periods, he said, but they have established a time-honoured relationship and have established cooperative ties for mutual development.

The President thanked Việt Nam for sharing sympathy with the French people throughout their difficulties with terrorism, and he stated that countries must unite to ensure global security. He noted that terrorism was no longer an issue of any single country but a global one.

When disputes arise, they should be solved through peaceful dialogues and negotiations, Hollande said, a stance he believes France and Việt Nam both share.

He also offered French support of Việt Nam’s active role in United Nations’ peacekeeping missions.

Regarding economic development, the French President appreciated Việt Nam’s open-door policy, saying that the country has been able to make use of its advantages for development while preserving its national culture.

He however also recommended that Việt Nam needs to develop hi-tech industries and pledged that France would continue to share advanced technologies with Việt Nam.

The President expressed hope that more Vietnamese students would choose to study in France. He suggested that furthering links between the two countries’ universities and offering more French teaching in Vietnamese universities would provide more opportunities for Vietnamese students to pursue higher education in France’s renowned school system. .

The President of VNU-Hanoi, Nguyễn Kim Sơn, said the university had established and maintained cooperative ties with many French partners, including Ecole Polytechnique, University of Nantes and Paris-Sud University. The university also actively participates in multilateral co-operative programmes via the Francophone Community and the Francophone University Agency (AUF).

On the occasion of President Hollande’s visit, the VNU-Hanoi and the Ecole Polytechnique also signed an agreement to boost their partnership in high-quality training.

The partnership between VNU-Hanoi and French partners has a firm foundation—mainly, the historical ties between the university and France—and VNU-Hanoi will make more efforts to strengthen this special linkage.

The VNU-Hanoi’s predecessor is Đông Dương (Indochina) University, which was the first western-style tertiary education model in Indochina and was established by the French in 1906. It is now one of Việt Nam’s leading training and research establishments..— VNS