Connecting the French-speaking Belgian community, fostering Vietnam-Wallonie friendship

On the evening of September 26, in Hanoi, the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam held a ceremony to celebrate the Walloon Festivals and the founding day of the French-speaking Belgian community.

Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam Pierre Du Ville speaks at the event. (Photo: Thu Trang)

The ceremony was attended by Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training , representatives of ministries/departments/sectors, and a large number of the Francophone community in Vietnam.

Speaking at the ceremony, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam Pierre Du Ville emphasized that 2025 is the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day, and affirmed the importance of living in peace , friendship and harmony with the world.

The year 2025 also marked an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations with the State visit of the King and Queen of Belgium. The visit was an opportunity for the two countries to evaluate and strengthen their cooperation, especially in the fields of education and scientific research.

Mr. Pierre Du Ville expressed his pleasure that Vietnam was the guest of honor at the Walloon Festival taking place on September 20 in Namur - the capital of the Walloon region of Belgium.

According to Mr. Pierre Du Ville, 2025 is the year to start implementing the Vietnam-Wallonie-Bruxelles bilateral cooperation program, focusing on sending Belgian experts to work in Vietnam and welcoming Vietnamese officials and students to study and intern in Wallonie-Bruxelles, within the framework of 17 cooperation projects, especially in important fields such as health, sustainable agriculture and climate change response, maritime law, logistics, French teacher training and culture...

Looking forward, the Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation pointed out that 2026 will also be a year filled with important activities when celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Hanoi (since 1996) - the only official diplomatic representative of the Wallonie region and the French-speaking Belgian community in Asia. He also expressed his gratitude for being re-elected as President of the Francophone Organization in Vietnam (GADIF).

Referring to the 20th Francophone Summit scheduled to be held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in November 2026, he hoped the conference would be a great success, creating an opportunity for the Francophone community to express their passion for French - the language of choice, success and future.

Video message from Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang congratulating the Walloon Festival. (Photo: Thu Trang)

In a video sent to the celebration (the video was also broadcast at the Walloon Festival on September 20 in Namur, Belgium), Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said that this anniversary is a valuable opportunity to look back, appreciate and honor the more than 50 years of development of the Vietnam-Belgium cooperation relationship, more than 30 years of the Vietnam-Wallonie cooperation relationship as well as the French-speaking Belgian community and to continue to look forward to a bright future together.

According to Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, local cooperation has always been a bright spot, making an important contribution to the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium, including cooperation between Vietnam and the Wallonia region and the French-speaking Belgian community.

Since 1993, Vietnam, Wallonia and the French-speaking Belgian community have established an official cooperative relationship and to date, the two sides have together gone through a proud journey with many practical results in implementing many cooperation programs on vocational training, healthcare, culture, public administration, language, environmental protection, renewable energy development, climate change response, science and technology, etc.

"We appreciate and thank the valuable contributions from projects supported by the Wallonia region and the French-speaking Belgian community to Vietnam's socio-economic development, improving the quality of life for the Vietnamese people. Thousands of Vietnamese students and researchers have been studying and researching at prestigious universities and research institutes in Wallonia, serving as a bridge of knowledge and ambassadors for the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Wallonia in particular, and between Vietnam and Belgium in general," Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang emphasized.

Quoting the song of the Walloon people “On s'aime entre frères de Wallonie. And on est prêts l'un l'autre à se donner la main”, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang expressed her belief that, with the determination, goodwill and efforts of both sides, the Vietnam-Wallonie relationship and the French-speaking Belgian community will continue to develop more strongly, contributing positively to the overall development of the relationship between Vietnam and Belgium, bringing happiness and prosperity to the people.

Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche shares major milestones in bilateral relations. (Photo: Thu Trang)

At the ceremony, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche reviewed the highlights of bilateral relations, especially the State visit of the King and Queen of Belgium. The two sides are implementing specific results of the visit, including overcoming the consequences of dioxin after the war in Vietnam.

Ambassador Karl Van den Bossche expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese Government for exempting visas for Belgian citizens who want to travel to Vietnam, considering this an important and practical step forward that contributes to strongly promoting the exchange relations between citizens of the two countries. In addition, he also highlighted the harmony between Vietnam and Belgium in supporting multilateralism and efforts for world peace.

"The Walloon Festival and the Belgian Francophone Community Day are an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the people and governments of our two countries. This is a vivid example of the multi-level relationship between the Kingdom of Belgium, its regions and communities and Vietnam. For this reason, we would like to thank all of you for your contribution to promoting this relationship," Ambassador Karl Van den Bossche shared.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu came to congratulate. (Source: Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation)

At the celebration, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam Pierre Du Ville, Ambassador Karl Van den Bossche and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training raised their glasses to celebrate the Walloon Festival and the founding day of the French-speaking Belgian community.

Attending the event, delegates enjoyed special French performances praising the country and people of Vietnam and the Wallonia region, along with Belgian-flavored dishes and drinks.

Some photos at the event:

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/gan-ket-cong-dong-nguoi-bi-noi-tieng-phap-vun-dap-tinh-huu-nghi-viet-nam-wallonie-329016.html