Hanoi (VNA)꧅ – Vietnam and France are stepping up efforts to deepen their strategic partnership, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said at a reception for visiting French President Francois Hollande in Hanoi on September 6.

The Party leader confirmed that Vietnam always prioritises developing the friendship and cooperation with France, suggesting the two countries enhance multi-faceted collaboration, experience sharing, and mutual support at international forums while maintaining the current cooperation mechanisms. He proposed France making further affiliation in such potential fields as economics, trade, investment, and technological transfer, especially in agriculture, as well as climate change adaptation, culture and education. Both nations should strengthen coordination in dealing with global issues and in a joint effort to ensure regional peace, stability, and overflight and maritime security and freedom, he said. President Francois Hollande agreed that the two sides will increase political ties, cultural exchanges and education, particularly the teaching of French in Vietnam . Vietnam and France are set to promote cooperation in economics, trade, aerospace, renewable energy, agriculture, and food processing, he said, showing support for the development of rapports among localities and Francophone communities and some applicable cooperation mechanisms in Africa and other regions in the world. He shared international security challenges for Vietnam and France and said he backs aviation and navigation freedom as well as the settlement of maritime disputes via peaceful means and international law. The same day, the President was received by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, during which he said France wants to ratchet up cooperative ties with Vietnam and pledges to maintain official development assistance (ODA) provision for the Southeast Asian country. He revealed that France will expand collaboration in the fields of climate change, information technology, culture and education while helping Vietnam build and modernise cities and diversify energy resources. He suggested the two countries’ legislative agencies increase high-level delegation exchanges and expressed his belief that the National Assembly of Vietnam will provide the best legal assistance to implement effectively the bilateral cooperation agreements. National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan thanked France for helping Vietnam build a climate change adaptation strategy and implement the UN Agenda through 2030. She highlighted cooperation among localities as a unique feature in the bilateral relations, citing 38 French localities set up cooperative and pair ties with 18 Vietnamese cities and provinces. The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho is actively preparing for the 10 th cooperation conference between Vietnamese and French localities, she noted. The top legislator thanked French parliamentarians for actively coordinating with Vietnam at the 132 nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) and the seventh Asia-Pacific meeting of the P arliamentary Assembly of the Francophone (APF). She suggested the French Government increase scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in France, noting that over 7,000 are pursuing education in the European country. On the day, the two countries issued a joint statement on President Francois Hollande's state visit to Vietnam from September 5-7, asserting economic cooperation continuously remains a prioritised pillar in the bilateral ties.-VNA