Early next year, Vietnam will welcome French President Francois Hollande on his first official visit to the country.
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung were the first to hear the news, which France's Foreign Affairs Committee President Elisabeth Guigou announced during her own visit to Vietnam earlier this month, reports Thanh Nien.
According to Guigou, the French president intended to visit Vietnam in 2015, however recent events in France – namely the November terrorist attacks in Paris and the 21st Convention of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as COP21 – have kept Hollande especially busy through the end of this year.
While there's no official date for Hollande's visit, Vietnam is keen to welcome the French leader. Relations between the two countries have been strong since Prime Minister Dung made a trip to France in 2013, and both France and Vietnam are interested in boosting bilateral trade, which currently amounts to nearly US$3 billion.
[Photo via RFI]
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