The Vietnamese Embassy in France on January 18 held a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) (January 27, 1973-2023).

In his remarks at the event, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang highlighted the significance of Paris Peace Accords, emphasising that 50 years have passed since the agreement was signed but the symbolic values of peace still need to be preserved and fostered.

Referring to the support of French friends for Vietnam, the diplomat affirmed Vietnam always remembers that France has shared with Vietnam common values of peace and solidarity.

International solidarity, especially the great support that the French people gave to their Vietnamese peers in the process to regain independence and peace, is a solid basis for building the friendship and cooperation between France and Vietnam, he stressed.

He showed the gratitude to all long-time friends of Vietnam in various associations and political organisations of France, who have contributed to promoting peace and friendship between the two countries.

The ambassador wished Vietnam and France will continue to maintain this tradition, thus further strengthening the bilateral friendship and solidarity in the future.

For his part, Vice President of the French Senate Pierre Laurent recalled memories of solidarity and sincere help of friends from the French Communist Party (PCF) during the peace negotiation process from 1968 to 1973, which was the longest of its kind in the diplomacy history in the 20th century with more than 200 public meetings, dozens of secret meetings and hundreds of press conferences and exchanges.

During those five years, the relationship between the French and Vietnamese communists was always strong and has been maintained until today, he said.

Laurent affirmed that Vietnam is more than ever an important partner of France in dealing with global challenges to build a world of peace and ensure security for mankind.

Previously, roundtable talks on Paris Peace Accords, and the Vietnam-France relations from the perspective of insiders were organised under the host of Pierre Journoud - contemporary history lecturer at France's Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University.

On this occasion, Journoud introduced a 438-page book published in late December 2022, which collects articles by French and Vietnamese scholars, researchers, and politicians on their views on how to solve East Sea-related issues by "soft power" instead of using force./.