PANO - On behalf of the French President, French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noël Poirier presented the Legion of Honour (Grand Officer) to Vietnamese diplomat Vo Van Sung, former Vietnamese Ambassador to France in 1976, at a ceremony on July 11th in Hanoi.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noël Poirier (L) presenting the Legion of Honour to Vietnamese diplomat Vo Van Sung. Photo: laodong.com.vn

Addressing the ceremony, the French Ambassador stressed that the award is to recognize the former Vietnamese ambassador's significant role and contributions to promoting the Vietnam-France ties. He noted that Sung was one of the major architects of the development of the two countries' diplomatic relations over the past 50 years. The former ambassador was a member of Vietnam’s delegation for the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 to end the Vietnam War for peace in Vietnam. He became the first ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to France in 1974, and then Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to France in 1976, Chairman of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association after his term of office, and Foreign Minister Assistant until his retirement in 1993.

For his part, the former Vietnamese ambassador expressed his honour when receiving the French government's prestigious order, and hoped to continue helping develop the Vietnam-France friendship.

Translated by Trung Thanh