(VOVworld) – The 9th Vietnam-France Decentralized Cooperation Conference will take place next month in Brest, France, which is expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation based on the outcomes of a previous session in Hai Phong in 2010.

The meeting of a joint committee to prepare for the 9th Vietnam-France Decentralized Cooperation Conference. (Photo: VNA)

A joint committee of organizers convened Tuesday in Paris to finalize the upcoming 3-day event from June 9^th which will kick off a Vietnam-France cross-exchange year. The conference will touch on the responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities involved in developing and enhancing the relationship. Michel Morvan, Brest’s Deputy Director in charge of strategy, said: "The upcoming conference will focus on decentralized cooperation among localities of Vietnam and France in education, culture, economics, and urban development. It will create a chance for both countries’ authorities to figure out new cooperation development models. Each side has its own experience, so they need to work together to improve the efficiency of their cooperation. We’re targeting a new development model on a new platform in the next 3 years".

The conference will be divided into 6 sessions covering 3 topics: education, training, healthcare, and culture in the Francophone community; urban and rural development and planning; and local administrators settling economic difficulties. On the sidelines, Vietnam and France will sign several cooperation deals in education and the environment, open 4 exhibitions on Indochina and bilateral cooperation, and organize various cultural activities.

Thuy Van-Dao Dung, VOV correspondents in France