Mr Phuc held working sessions with advisors for external relations from the offices of the French President and the Prime Minister. They examined the implementation of agreements, which were signed during a Vietnam visit by French PM Francois Fillon last November.

The minister emphasised France’s strengths and its orientations for future cooperation, especially in the fields of education-training, infrastructure and in coping with climate change.

Vietnam wants to get down to work on a project with France to build a sci-tech university so that it can enrol its first students this September, Mr Phuc said.

He called on big French groups to invest in Vietnam, notably to build a metro system and upgrade the Long Bien Bridge in capital Hanoi. He also expressed Vietnam’s desire to cooperate with France in mitigating the impact of natural disasters.

The advisors said France is looking forward to receiving a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation in Paris, possibly on the occasion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) due to take place in Brussels in October.

The two sides agreed to assign the two Foreign Ministries to prepare for the “Vietnam Year in France” and the “France Year in Vietnam” in 2013 when the two nations celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

During the visit, the Vietnamese delegates also worked with the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to share experiences related to institutional and administrative reforms./.