The meeting was honoured by the presence of well-known French physics’ professor of Vietnamese origin, Tran Thanh Van and his wife Le Kim Ngoc, who founded the Association. Also present were professor Nguyen Van Hieu, Halmut Kutin, president of International SOS Children’s Villages Association, Pierre Pascal, President of SOS children’s villages in France, Tran Thi Kim Dung, Vice Director of the SOS children’s villages in Vietnam, local officials from district 9 in Paris and more than 200 guests.

The meeting reviewed the association’s activities over the past 40 years by holding a photography exhibition.

The association was first established in Paris under the name Aide a’ l’Enfance du Vietnam (AEVN) by Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife in 1970, to support orphans in Vietnam. It then became a member of the SOS children’s village international association in 1972.

AEVN has close links with international SOS children’s villages and has hundreds of members in Paris, the US and Switzerland. It has built SOS Children’s villages in Da Lat and Dong Hoi and a centre for orphans in Thuy Xuan, Hue. It takes care and provides vocational training for hundreds of disadvantaged children in Vietnam.