French Consul General Nicolas Warbery awarded Dang Thi Minh Hanh with title "Arts and Literacy Knight" of the Minister of Culture and Information, Renaud Donedieu de Vabres, in Ho Chi Minh City on June 5.

Minh Hanh, Director of the Vietnam Fashion and Design Institute in HCM City was the country's first fashion stylist to have been granted this title.

The French Consulate General in HCM City said that over the past years, Minh Hanh has acted as a link between France and Vietnam in the fashion area. In 2001, she was invited to be a member in the jury of ESMOD International Fashion School. One year later, she organised a show, entitled "White Night" in Paris and another, named "Far East" in Nantes.

She has also been a partner of the Hanoi-based French Embassy and the HCM City-based French Consulate General in organising the Hue Festival, a symbol of bilateral cooperation in the fields of cultural and arts.