Activities to mark International Francophonie Day

Thibeault said the official ceremony, hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his office and the Francophonie Embassies, Delegations and Institutions Group (GADIF) will be held at the Hanoi Opera House. The Youth Francophonie Awards will be presented during the ceremony.

Celebrating Francophonie Day reflects respect for all languages and cultures alike, he said, adding that the Francophonie community aims to protect the diversity of languages and cultures.

A number of activities will take place across the country, including art shows by Belgian singer Axelle Red in Hanoi on March 18, Can Tho on March 19, HCM City on March 20; Romanian traditional dances in Hanoi from March 15-18 and in HCM City on March 19, among others. 

The 10th French-Speaking Film Festival will be held in Hanoi, Vinh, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City from March 19 – April 2, with the screening of 10 movies and animated films, including two Vietnamese films, “Cha va con va…” (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories) by Phan Dang Di, and “My nhan” (The Beautiful Woman) by Dinh Thai Thuy.

The Vietnam News Agency’s Le Courrier du Vietnam, the only French-language newspaper published in Vietnam, will hold the “Young Francophone Reporters” contest, the second of its kind, targeting French-language speakers aged between 18 – 35 living in Vietnam.

The Asia-Pacific French-Speaking Regional Centre will also hold an online writing contest themed “Equality, support, solidarity”.

Meanwhile the French Cultural Centre L’Espace will host the final round of the Poetry Slam competition. The winners will represent Vietnam at the world Poetry Slam 2017 to take place in France.

A workshop on the history of relations between Vietnam and Morocco on March 27 will also be part of the activities.

The OIF, gathering 84 states and governments, including 58 members and 26 observers from the world with over 90 million people, boosts cooperation among French-speaking countries.

Vietam joined the OIF when it was established in 1970 and is considered a founding member of the organisation.