Hanoi city authorities will present a ceramic mural to the French city of Choisy le Roi as part of the activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords that established peace in Vietnam and put an end to the US-Vietnam War (1973-2013).

This was announced by the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc at a reception on June 25 for the Vice Mayor of Choisy-le-roi Jean Joel Lemarchand, who was visiting Hanoi from June 22-30 to prepare for co-hosting the celebratory activities.

The mural, entitled ‘Friendship among Three Ceramic Cities’, highlights the friendly relations between three cities, Hanoi (Vietnam), Choisy le Roi (France) and Lugo (Italy), which are all built along rivers and are traditionally known for producing pottery.

The 4 x 5 metre artwork represents a 1946 portrait of President Ho Chi Minh in France, the Vietnamese delegation at the Paris Peace Accords in 1968 and the signing of the Accords in 1973, as well as cultural and architectural features of the three cities.

The mural, which will be produced by artisans from the New Hanoi Arts Limited Company, is designed by Nguyen Thu Thuy, who was awarded the title of ‘Outstanding Citizen of the City’ in 2010 for initiating and organising the ‘Ceramic Road along the Red River’ project.

The work is expected to be completed in September this year and will be hung in the Choisy-le-roi municipal administration headquarters.

The Peace Accords were signed in Paris on January 27, 1973 during Vietnam’s war against the US imperialists. Under the accords, the Saigon regime and its US backer had to recognise Vietnam’s sovereignty and withdraw US troops and allied forces.

Located in a southern suburb of Paris, Choisy le Roi has a strong historical attachment to Vietnam. Fernand Dupuy, the city’s major from 1959 to 1979, together with members of the French Communist Party and municipal council officials, warmly received the delegation from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and generously offered material and spiritual support during the five-year negotiation of the Paris Peace Accords (1968-1973).

Nhan Dan