(VOVworld) – Vietnam has attended a Water Festival in France’s Saint-Amand les Eaux city to seek cooperation with localities of advanced water technology. The city’s mayor Alain Bocquet spoke at the opening ceremony: "This year’s water festival coincides with the 40^th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and Cross Exchange Year. So we took Vietnam as the theme of the event and invited Vietnam as an honor guest to the event. This festival reminds French people of the days we supported Vietnam’s struggle for peace and nurtures hopes for further cooperation".

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Duong Chi Dung spoke highly of the water festival, stressing the significance of water in our lives. Dung said the event is an important part of the 2013-2014 Vietnam-France Year:"We are here to introduce our rice cultivation, cuisines, ethnic costumes, beautiful photos of Vietnam by French artists, and a trade fair of Vietnamese products. This is chance for us to establish closer links with local authority and enterprises. We are learning from the French water treatment, environmental protection, and nature conservation and outlining our future cooperation plan".

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Duong Chi Dung and Mayor Alain Bocquet pose together at the Water Festival. (Photo: VOV)

During the festival, a film made by director Daniel Roussel was screened, featuring the diplomatic efforts of Vietnamese negotiators to achieve the 1973 Paris Peace Accord.

Thuy Van, VOV correspondent in France