Deeply Impressed by Vietnamese Dynamism: French Ambassador Jean-Francoise Blarel

Vietnam Business Forum conducts an interview with French Ambassador Jean-Francoise Blarel.

I have been in Vietnam for over one year as French Ambassador. The Franco-Vietnamese relationship is founded on age-old history and intimate views on many international issues. My mission is to make the two countries understand each other precisely and sincerely and find the most appropriate solutions to promote further such relationship.

 

I am highly impressed by Vietnamese values. Firstly, Vietnam has a very long and interesting history. For example, Ba Dinh archaeological site is very impressive, each time I visit it, I always find something new in your thousand years old history. Throughout the long history, Vietnamese people had demonstrated their valour and determination. The same remains true today. Thirdly, you have always looked to the future and it makes our relations more favourable and stronger. A series of commemorations were organised in 2004 and 2005. It shows that you really know how to rely on history to overcome challenges in the future. I am deeply impressed by the vitality and dynamism of the Vietnamese people. Those are factors that generate fine Vietnamese achievements in the field of economics.

 

I very much like living in Hanoi, a city that maintains its historic harmony, souvenirs of the French period, the present greenery (lakes and parks, etc.) and the recent developments. I hope that the harmony will be retained to make Hanoi distinguishable from other Asian cities. To make life more enjoyable in Hanoi, the infrastructure must be improved. As you may know, France has provided financial and technical assistance to the urban rail traffic in Hanoi. The people of Hanoi should take more care regarding road safety: traffic accidents remain high. I believe that the campaign to wear helmets will be successful with the assistance of the French Red Cross Society.

 

The total French ODA to Vietnam in 2006 is some Euro340 million. In 2006, France is focusing on three priorities. One, the promotion of production areas through the development of the financial sector and small and medium sized enterprises. Secondly, the development of infrastructure, more specifically assisting Vietnam in energy strategy, environment protection (water, waste treatment, air pollution), transport facilities (air, rail, urban traffic). Third, the development of agriculture and food safety. The three sectors of priority occupy over 80 per cent of our bilateral assistance to Vietnam. In addition, French co-operation also includes in HIV/AIDS prevention, training of human resources and scientific researches, cultural activities and French language, governance and law-governed State.