Former President of the Senate of France Christian Poncelet, Vietnamese Ambassador in France Le Kinh Tai, Vietnamese Ambassador in UNESCO Van Nghia Dung and representatives from the Vietnam Department of Cultural Heritage, the Society of Vietnamese Expatriates in France and the Society of Vietnamese Students in France attended the event’s opening ceremony.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Tai said the exhibit is a chance for visitors to discover Vietnam’s abundant cultural heritage and become more aware of Vietnam’s efforts in preserving and developing it.

The Ambassador stressed that Vietnam has a 1,000-year old culture which is a combination of local traditions and foreign cultural quintessence. The cultural identities of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups are on display at more than 120 museums and nearly 40,000 historic and cultural relic sites across the country, said the Ambassador.

The country’s abundant and diverse culture was recognised by UNESCO, he said, referring to world cultural assets in Vietnam such as Hue Ancient Capital, My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An Old Quarter, Hue Royal Court, Bac Ninh Duet Songs.

The Ambassador did not forget to mention the presence of French culture at historic edifices in Vietnam, namely the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City opera houses.

For his part, Poncelet highlighted the characteristics of Vietnam’s cultural heritage and pointed out that France and Vietnam share many similarities in culture.

It is these similarities that create a special affection for Vietnam among many French people, Poncelet said, urging the two nations to boost bilateral relations in all fields in the coming time.

The exhibition was jointly held by the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Vietnam Culture Centre in France on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam and national reunification.

The exhibition will close on May 20.