The event, the result of a joint effort by the France-Viet Nam Cultural Association, Pyrénées-Orientale province, and the Vietnamese Embassy in France, is being staged from April 4- May 15.

A Vietnamese culinary festival on April 6 provided visitors the opportunity to taste Vietnamese traditional dishes prepared by famous chief Hoang Thi Nhu Huy, a member of– French culinary institute, from imperial Hue city.

A large number of representatives from the Vietnamese business community are also taking the opportunity provided by the occasion to tout cooperation and investment opportunities in Viet Nam.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pyrénées-Orientale Governor René Bidal said he greatly values the friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and France.

“Viet Nam is an attractive destination for French people thanks to its inherent natural beauty, and traditional historical and cultural values”, he said, adding “At present, about 5,000 French people are living and working in Viet Nam.”

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung said the exhibition- one of activities marking the Viet Nam Year in France aims to help French friends learn more about Vietnamese people’s daily lives in the 19th and 20th century, especially their traditional customs and handicrafts.

Professor Jean Louis Marty from Perpignan University showed his keen interest in the exhibition, through which, he said, “A vivid Vietnamese living environment over the past two centuries are featured.”

“I am not very knowledgeable about Viet Nam which I visited only once last year. So the ongoing exhibition helped me get a deeper understanding about Viet Nam, which is geographically located very far from us,” he said.

Chairwoman of the France-Viet Nam Cultural Association, Nguyen Thi That Peel, a French Vietnamese who was awarded top French award (the National Order of the Legion of Honour), said her love for both Viet Nam and France inspired her to organize this exhibition in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties.