On July 11, 2025, the Palais de la Culture in Treichville was filled with the colors of Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire as the two nations celebrated the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. The evening, rich in symbolism, featured a diverse artistic program and high-level speeches—highlighting the strength and multidimensional nature of the partnership between the two countries.

On this occasion, H.E. LÊ Kim Quy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Côte d’Ivoire, traced the key milestones of this historic bilateral relationship, which began just a few months after Vietnam’s reunification in 1975.

"For five decades, Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam have worked to strengthen cooperation based on sincere friendship, mutual respect, and openness. Since 2010, high-level political and diplomatic exchanges have notably intensified," she declared.

The Ambassador highlighted several major diplomatic visits in recent years. On the Vietnamese side, several senior officials from the Communist Party and government have visited Abidjan.
On the Ivorian side, there have been successive ministerial visits, culminating in the historic visit of Adama Bictogo, President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, to Vietnam in June 2023—the first visit by a top Ivorian official since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

She also recalled the meeting between President Alassane Ouattara and Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, held on the sidelines of the 18th Francophonie Summit in Djerba in 2022—a strong symbol of constructive political dialogue.

On the economic front, Ambassador LÊ Kim Quy emphasized the growth of trade between the two countries, noting that bilateral trade exceeded the symbolic threshold of 1 billion US dollars in 2021—a milestone reflecting the promising potential of economic cooperation.

She expressed gratitude to the institutions and economic stakeholders who contributed to this momentum and called for a new, even more ambitious chapter in bilateral relations.

Representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary-General Yapi Evariste Koffi stressed the importance of cultural diplomacy.
"This evening symbolizes our shared desire to bring our peoples closer together through culture. It highlights the commonalities in our histories and the richness of our diversity," he stated.

He also praised the quality of the evening’s artistic program, which gave the public the opportunity to discover or rediscover both traditional and contemporary cultural expressions from the two nations.

The celebration continued with a series of artistic performances. The audience enjoyed Vietnamese melodies, including the iconic song "Bonjour Vietnam" performed by Hoàng Yến and the Vietnam National Theatre of Singing, Dancing, and Music.

Other highlights of the evening included a solo performance on the đàn bầu (Vietnamese monochord) titled "Bridge to the Homeland", and the song "The Roof of the Communal House of a Coastal Village", also performed by Hoàng Yến.