HCMC – The French Development Agency (AFD) on October 21 held a photo exhibition at the French Consulate General in HCMC to celebrate 30 years of its operations in Vietnam, highlighting three decades of partnership and sustainable development between France and Vietnam.
The exhibition, featuring images and stories from AFD’s projects nationwide, has previously been showcased in Hanoi and Hue. In HCMC, the photos are displayed on the outer wall of the French Residence. Following its stop in the city, the exhibition will move to the French Embassy in Hanoi on October 24 for the official 30th anniversary celebration.
Speaking at the opening, Julien Seillan, director of AFD Vietnam, highlighted the agency’s 30-year contribution to Vietnam’s development. Founded in 1941, AFD, which is known as the world’s oldest development bank, has financed over 3.3 billion euros for 120 projects since 1994, benefiting nearly one-third of Vietnam’s population.
Active in southern Vietnam since 1999, AFD has supported projects in HCMC and nearby provinces, from upgrading vocational schools to major infrastructure works like the 500kV Pleiku–Cau Bong transmission line. It has also funded renewable energy, flood control, irrigation, and coastal protection projects across the region.
At the event, the agency stated it will continue to back social initiatives through partnerships with French NGOs, including Planète Enfants et Développement, which focuses on child protection, and IECD, which provides vocational training in bakery and automotive mechanics.
Grégory Robert, French deputy consul general in HCMC, noted that the event takes place in a historically significant year for France–Vietnam relations, marked by French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Vietnam in May 2025 and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to France for the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June.
He emphasized that it also marks an important milestone under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in Paris in October 2024 in the presence of Party General Secretary To Lam and President Macron. This agreement, he said, provides a solid foundation for bilateral ties, with impactful and people-centered projects by AFD and its partners turning high-level political commitments into concrete actions that benefit communities and foster deeper mutual understanding between the two nations.
