The plan was recently announced by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), which has been entrusted by the Prime Minister to sponsor the annual event.

The organising board said some 80 Vietnamese businesses will join the event to increase economic ties with the major European investment and tourism partner.

France ranks ninth on the list of the 77 foreign investors in Vietnam with 177 projects estimated at a total value of US$2.2 billion in the country.

The EU nation has long been one of Vietnam's top ten tourist markets. In the first half of this year, almost 100,000 French holiday-makers arrived in the country.