International Francophone Day will arrive on March 20, and will include many events aimed at cultural exchange among French-speaking countries.

Member countries of Francophone

The International Organisation of the French-Speaking World (IOF) Asian-Pacific office held a press conference on March 10 to announce plans for the event, which will include a large number of events and activities leading up to the day.

One of the main attractions will be the Francophone film festival, which will include 13 critically acclaimed films, including “Delicce Paloma” (France), “Marseille, Profil Grec” (Greece) and “Rumba” (Walloie-Bruxelles Delegation).

Also on the roster are three Vietnamese films: Left with the time”, directed by Le Hong Chuong, “Roads to justice” by Lai Van Sinh, and “Countryside”, by Sy Chung. The festival is to take place in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue.

The official opening of ceremonies for International Francophone Day will take place in Hanoi, on March 18, at 6pm. Vietnamese officials, as well as those from other governments, are expected to be in attendance. Also included in the opening ceremony is a fashion show, presenting designs that come from countries scattered around the French-speaking world.

This year, students who study French in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam will mark the 50th anniversary of the Francophone University Agency (AUF) with a contest to show their knowledge of the literature and culture of France. The final round of the competition, which is comprised of 49 teams, will be held in Cambodia on March 27.

On March 19, Hanoi University will host a conference on French language studies and culture, including performances and games.

The Francophone Embassy’s Delegations and Institutions Group (GADIF) will present two awards to Vietnamese representatives this year. One to Trinh Ngoc Thai, Former Vietnamese Ambassador in France and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association, and another to Prof. Huynh Huu Tue, Director of Bac Ha University, for their great contributions to Francophone development.

VNews channel and Le Corrier du Vietnam will collaborate in a television programme to mark the event. This will be the first programme of its kind to be shown on national Vietnamese TV.