PANO - French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noël Poirier presented the Commander medal of the Legion of Honour, a French order, to Mrs. Ton Nu Thi Ninh at the French General Consulate in HCM City on February 26th.

Ninh was awarded the Officer medal of this order after the 1997 Francophone Summit.

As a teacher, a diplomat and a politician, Mrs. Ninh has been ceaselessly contributing to the development and the integration of Vietnam into the international community. This enabled Ninh to maintain close ties with France.

As one of the most excellent Vietnamese students in France’s tertiary education system, in 1964, Ninh lectured at the University of Pedagogy in Fontenay-aux-Roses, Paris.

Returning to Vietnam in 1972, she taught at the HCM University of Pedagogy until 1979 and later decided to get involved in a diplomatic career.

She has made great contributions to the participation of Vietnam in such multilateral organizations as the UN, Francophone community and ASEAN.

The Legion of Honour, established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802, is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees: Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand Cross.

Translated by Viet Anh