A series of activities are poised to take place in several Vietnamese cities in commemoration of International Francophone Day, which falls on March 20.

The Francophone Festival, which takes place on Sunday at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden in District 1, is expected to welcome around 2,800 attendees, including local students and teachers of French.

Besides numerous games and musical performances, the event also provides information related to French learning in Vietnamese universities.

Other festivities are scheduled for March 18 to 25 in the southern hub, including the painting exhibition ‘Francophonie – Rencontre Des Cultures,’ the French cuisine festival ‘Journée Goût de France,’ the photo exhibition ‘Exposition Imagine France,’ and a night concert.

The 2016 Francophone Film Festival, featuring nine movies from six countries – including Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Switzerland, and Vietnam – runs in Hanoi, Hue City, and Ho Chi Minh City from March 16 to 31.

The Vietnamese flick ‘Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh’ (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass) will be screened at 8:00 pm on March 28 at L'Espace at 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi.

Last year, this critically-acclaimed, 102-minute film was named the winner of ‘Features Films of 2015’ at the Silk Road International Film Festival in Fujian Province, China.  

It tells the story of two brothers who live happily together in a coastal village in the late 1980s. They later compete with each other to win the affection of the same cute, little girl.

Also within the framework of the program to mark International Francophone Day are a series of offline and online competitions for Vietnamese students to enhance their ability to speak French and express their point of view on French-related topics.

Francophones around the world celebrate International Francophone Day on March 20 every year.

International Francophone Day was first celebrated in 1998 as a way for the 49 members of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (International Organization of the Francophone) to cherish their shared bond, the French language, and their cultural assets and diversity.

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