Within the framework of the official visit of General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife to France, on September 10, Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of General Secretary and President To Lam, had a meeting and exchange with French Minister of Culture Catherine Pegard, according to VNA.
At the meeting, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly emphasized that Vietnam is a country with a long history, rich cultural identity and wishes to introduce and promote Vietnamese culture not only to the French people but also to the world.
Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly encouraged further exchanges between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the French Ministry of Culture; the two countries jointly proposed ideas to promote cooperation in this field through channels such as the French Institute in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France, and the Embassies of each country to actively implement current and future projects.
At the meeting, based on the effective cooperation activities in the past, the Vietnamese side proposed that the French side continue to promote and replicate the cooperation model to many specialized fields; provide more valuable documents related to President Ho Chi Minh; support and create conditions for Vietnamese cinema to be promoted at the Cannes Film Festival; research and establish specialized partnerships in the field of culture between the two countries.
After the meeting, the French Ministry of Culture organized a ceremony to return Dong Son bronze drum artifacts from the Rennes Art Museum (France) to the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The wife of General Secretary and President To Lam witnessed this meaningful event.
At the ceremony, French Minister of Culture Catherine Pegard highlighted the central position of culture in the long-standing human and intellectual bond between the two countries. Both France and Vietnam deeply understand the value of cultural heritage, which lies at the core of national identity and dialogue between nations. The handover of bronze drums is a great proof of the respect for cultural heritage, thereby contributing to firmly strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and France.
Agreeing with the sharing of the French Minister of Culture, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said that the return home of bronze drum artifacts today is not only the reception of a precious antique, but also the return of a heritage symbol, a sacred cultural essence of the Vietnamese nation.
The Dong Son bronze drum artifact handed over by French scientists is dated to about the 5th century BC with a height of 40.7 cm, a diameter of 54.5 cm and a weight of 17.2 kg. The drum was confiscated by customs officers at Rennes airport in 2014 because it did not have valid papers and was then transferred to the Rennes Museum of Art for preservation, research, and storage.
On the same day, the wife of General Secretary and President To Lam, Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly, and the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Ms. Brigitte Macron, visited the French National School of Fine Arts in Paris together.
