At the reception, Mr Menras expressed his hope of gaining Vietnamese citizenship, saying that he always does his best to help Vietnamese people, especially poor children. As President of the Friendship Association for France-Vietnam Education Exchange and Development, he has helped lecturers from universities in Da Nang, Nha Trang and HCM City share their experiences with colleagues at universities in France.

Since 2004, Mr Menras has been giving scholarships to poor Vietnamese children. In 2006, Mr Menras participated in a programme to raise money to buy water filters for Vietnamese residents in the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago area.

President Triet said the Vietnamese Party, State and people have always been grateful to close friends like Mr Menras, who have supported Vietnam during the past war against imperialism and the current process of national construction and development. They will never forget Mr Menras’s valuable contributions, President Triet said, adding that Vietnamese agencies have completed the necessary formalities to grant Vietnamese citizenship to Mr Menras.