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Hanoinews
Dec 18, 2018 / 07:53

Balade en France adorns Hanoi with Parisian touches

Linh Pham

Balade en France, the first of its kind in Vietnam, brought a “true Paris” to Hanoi last weekend.

Balade en France, one of many events celebrating the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-France relations this year, has showcased French culture to Hanoi, drawing a large number of visitors. 
 
French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary. Photo: Dantri
French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary. Photo: Dantri
The three-day festival closing on December 16 featured typical cuisine, music, and arts with different shops and cafés full of French style and more than 60 booths introducing specialties from the European country.  

Attending the opening ceremony were Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung, and French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary. 
 
French Ambassador to Vietnam with Hanoi's Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien. Photo: Dantri
The Ambassador with Hanoi's Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien. Photo: Dantri
The event, which was expected to welcome 100,000 visitors, offered a wide range of activities including paiting exhibition, film screening, art performances, food and drink showcase, helping people have an overview of France right in the hear of Hanoi. 

One of the major messages which the Balade en France designed to convey is environmental protection. A pine tree of six meters height was made from 1.000 used plastic bottles by the embassy, symbolizing 1,000 promises to protect the environment, according to the French ambassador. 
 
Pine tree made from 1,000 used plastic bottles. Photo: Hanoitimes
A pine tree made from 1,000 used plastic bottles. Photo: Hanoitimes
Artists from both Vietnam and France joined music performances, warming up the atmosphere and bringing people together amid the cold weather in Hanoi during the whole festival. 
 
Balade en France in Hanoi. Photo: Hanoitimes
The visistors were eager with living statues posed by street artists for hours in the walking zone around Hoan Kiem lake. 
 
Painting exhibition: Photo: Hanoitimes
Painting exhibition: Photo: Hanoitimes
Balade en France, the first of its kind in Vietnam, brought a “true Paris” to Hanoi, enabling Vietnamese people to know more about the French culture. 
 
A shop. Photo: Dantri
A shop. Photo: Dantri
France set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973, since then the embassy has been making efforts to spread the French culture in the Southeast Asian country. 

As a result, the number of Vietnamese learning French has been on the rise, just behind English. Alumnus in France have encouraged more school students to learn the language thanks to their understanding of French culture and style. 

The number of Vietnamese visitors to France and vice versa has increased over the years with an average on-year rise of 12%. 

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