At the ceremony, they enjoyed traditional Vietnamese food, and gained a better understanding of Tet, traditional festival in celebration of the year of the Tiger and other Vietnamese customs.

Cecile Minh, president of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, said the association holds a party to celebrate Tet every year. This is a good chance for French friends and Vietnamese residents to welcome the Lunar New Year, she added.

Established in 1991, the association has carried out a number of activities for the homeland, such as organising exhibitions to introduce Vietnamese culture and traditional handicrafts to France, providing assistance in health care, education, and vocational training, and arranging for Vietnamese students and officials to visit France.