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“V
ietnam is always in my
heart, so I try my best
to share my knowledge
and understanding of
Vietnamese culture and lifestyle with
our children, other French-Vietnamese
couples, as well as our French friends
and neighbours surrounding our home
in Lyon,” says Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh
(Ngoc Anh Rolland), chairwoman and
founder of Association Culturelle des
Vietnamiens du Rhône - ACVR.
“My wish is to set up a bridge of love
to strengthen the connection between
Vietnamese communities in France and
French friends who love Vietnamese
culture as well as to maintain the love
and understandings of Vietnamese tradi-
tions for our next generations. For me,
cultural understanding and exchange is
the most effective bridge to make the
east and the west’s hearts closer and
warmer,” says Ngoc Anh Rolland.
Living and working in Lyon city in
the southern French region of Rhône
since 1993, Ngoc Anh is passionate
about introducing the beautiful imag-
es of Vietnam, its culture and people
to her French husband and her three
children, as well as her French friends.
With a deep love of her fatherland,
Ngoc Anh decided to establish the offi-
cial ACVR association ( www.acvr-asso.
fr) in 2010.
At the beginning, the association
attracted 30 members - mostly mixed
Vietnamese-French couples. Since then,
it has received much support in Lyon
and other cities around the country. At
present, it has more than 80 members.
“Our members are almost all
working people who have been in
many positions in society, while 10
per cent of them are retired. Besides,
we receive the assistance of many Vi-
etnamese students studying in Lyon’s
colleges and universities,” Ngoc Anh
Rolland shares.
“I am very thankful to my parents
in Vietnam and my husband. They have
supported me wholeheartedly to make
my dream come true and gain success,”
she adds.
Her husband treasures his family
and highly appreciates traditional Viet-
namese values. He always encourages
and supports her and even finances her
activities.
The association was first estab-
lished with the financial resources of
Ngoc Anh and her members. However,
it now runs more smoothly and effec-
tively with donations from many more
individuals and organisations, as well as
fees from Vietnamese language classes
and traditional cultural performances.
The association has created many
interesting and meaningful activi-
ties for the local communities, such
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh and her French husband, Franck Rolland, run the As-
sociation Culturelle des Vietnamiens du Rhône to promote Vietnamese culture
around Lyon. By
Nhat Ha
Forging ties
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