In the past few years, a house in Paris has become a familiar spot for many people with an interest in Vietnam.

VCC\'s former director Pham Xuan Sinh (R) and French scholar Nicole Le Boulanger at VCC

VCC\'s new director Le Chuong (R) and the author in the centre\'s ceramic exhibition room

Early this year, a Spring Press Festival was held at the Vietnam Cultural Centre (VCC) in Paris, France, right after it was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Seeing the hundreds of special edition newspapers on display, many Vietnamese who had lived in Europe for a long time were impressed by the quality and diversity of Vietnamese media.

Numerous festivals and exhibitions have been held at the VCC in the last few years displaying Vietnamese arts, musical instruments, ceramics, and people, among others.

The "Hanoi Colours" exhibition by a group of artists called "Metropole Hanoi - Paris - Rio" has been one of the most noteworthy.

Pat Cam, a French artist of Vietnamese origin, who connected artists from Vietnam, France and Brazil for this exhibition, said: "In my heart, Vietnam is everything. This exhibition, which features works by artists from three different countries under one common theme - the 1,000 year history of Hanoi, provides an opportunity for French people as well as Vietnamese people in France to take part in the grand celebration of the city\'s 1000th anniversary."

Do Duc Long, VCC\'s deputy director said, on the occasion of this exhibition, the French College of Inter-army of Defence sent officers with French and Canadian citizenship to the centre to learn about Vietnam\'s history, culture as well as defence system.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are the major themes featuring at the centre during this year, to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi and the 120th birthday of Ho Chi Minh.

A seminar recently held about Ho Chi Minh attracted the participation of many well-known international scholars, journalists, politicians and historians. Raymond Aubrac, a 96-year-old French man took part in the seminar despite his age. He shared, "My meetings with Ho Chi Minh were milestones of my life, they have left unforgettable footprints in my memory."

Besides events, VCC also has long term programmes that aim to give more information and knowledge about the Vietnamese nation, people and culture to the Vietnamese in France. It recently inaugurated a library, which has been attracting an increasing number of Vietnamese as well as French readers. According to VCC\'s first and former director, Pham Xuan Sinh, the library is a means to expand the education of the Vietnamese language to people in France, including second and third generations of Vietnamese - French.

In October 2010, VCC will start Vietnamese classes at beginning levels, using the "Fun Vietnamese" textbooks provided by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. These will add to the centre\'s existing classes of traditional musical instruments and folk-music vocal training.

Sinh said his colleagues and himself have many long term plans for the centre. He promised that his successor, Le Chuong, would keep expanding its activities to make use of the 8 large floors of the building. "It has enough space for a future theatre, a cinema, many other classes, Vietnamese martial arts training, and even one floor for a Vietnamese restaurant that boasts Vietnam\'s finest foods," he said.

It seems impossible to do all this with the current staff of about 6 or 7 people. However, Sinh said the centre has many volunteers who are Vietnamese or of Vietnamese descent who are willing to support. They include musicians, fashion designers, directors, artists, doctors, architects, to electricians and cooks.