(VOVworld) - Nguyen Thi Thao from the Hanoi Foreign Trade University has won first prize of the Alexandre Yersin youth award launched by the French charity organization Le Liseron. An awards ceremony was held in Hanoi on Thursday by the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Organization and the Le Liseron organization. Thao said she felt honored to participate in the French essay contest, which helps Vietnamese students demonstrate their knowledge about French culture and people. The contest was first organized in 2013 for under-23-year-old Vietnamese students to promote their understanding of the European country. Established in 1999, Le Liseron has carried out a number of programs and projects to support disadvantaged people in Vietnam.