Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Thanh held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of the French Parliament and various mechanisms of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) as part of her trip to France to attend the 50th APF General Assembly (APF-50) from July 12–13.
At her meetings with President of the French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet and President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher, Thanh highly appreciated the role of the French Parliament in the APF and congratulated France on successfully hosting APF-50. She emphasised the sound bilateral relations between Vietnam and France, noting that in 2024, France became the first country in the European Union to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam.
Braun-Pivet commended the contributions of female parliamentarians, highlighting their role in promoting gender equality and sustainable development. She thanked the Vietnamese NA for sending a high-level delegation to attend APF-50, underscoring Vietnam’s active role and responsibility in the APF and the Francophone community. The official also appreciated the strong inter-parliamentary ties maintained through delegation exchanges and activities of parliamentary friendship groups.
Meanwhile, Gérard Larcher recalled his impressions from his visit to Vietnam in 2022 and his special affection for the country, expressing his hope for further strengthened relations between the two countries and their legislative bodies.
At her meeting with APF First Vice President and President of the National Assembly of Québec (Canada) Nathalie Roy, Thanh praised Québec’s efforts to promote Francophone values, especially the French language, and its contributions to the APF. She proposed enhancing cooperation to further develop Vietnam–Canada relations, particularly with Québec.
Roy thanked the Vietnamese NA and its Chairman Tran Thanh Man for the warm reception during her visit to Vietnam in January 2025 to attend the APF Executive Committee Meeting and the Francophone Parliamentary Forum. She expressed interest in further cooperation within the APF framework, especially in the exchange and sharing of experiences, with a focus on promoting the roles of women in parliaments and female leaders.
Thanh also met with Ouch Borith, First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate, during which, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the robust development of solidarity, friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia. They noted frequent high-level exchanges and close coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums, contributing to the promotion of initiatives for peace, cooperation, and development.
In a meeting with Mars Di Bartolomeo, Vice President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies and APF Budget Commissioner, Thanh thanked him for his longstanding affection for Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, noting his participation in protests in support of peace for Vietnam when he was a young journalist.
Di Bartolomeo reaffirmed his keen interest in Vietnam and his commitment to promoting Vietnam–Luxembourg relations, including close coordination at multilateral platforms such as the APF. He also expressed his desire to return to Vietnam soon, following his recent trip to Can Tho for the APF Executive Committee Meeting.
Thanh also met with the Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, the Chair of the Network of Women Parliamentarians, regional representatives from the Asia-Pacific and the Americas, and the APF Secretary-General. She lauded the roles of APF mechanisms in implementing the APF’s strategic framework, organising thematic conferences and seminars, and promoting inter-parliamentary cooperation programmes within its subcommittees, particularly those focused on young and female parliamentarians./.
