Dear Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee,

Dear Dear Nguyên Thi Quy Phuong, President of the Vietnam Motorsport Association,

Ladies, Gentlemen, dear friends,

I am very honoured to address you today at the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the Hanoi Motor Sport Circuit.

Today we are living a historic moment for the development of motor sport in Vietnam.

Hanoi, renowned for its historical and cultural wealth, will host in 2020, for the first time, a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and will therefore become one of the motor sport capitals in Asia.

This major event will give to Vietnam - and particularly its capital - an international exposure. It will make it possible to multiply vocations for the younger generations, by encouraging the emergence of tomorrow's Vietnamese champions.

At the same time, I am very proud to be present at the creation of a new national federation whose vocation is to promote motor sport, while respecting the rules of safety and social responsibility promoted by the FIA.

As a result of this great initiative, I am convinced that other sports disciplines, such as drifting or karting, which are also popular among young people, will receive the attention and public investment that they deserve.

And that official events will be organised under the aegis of the FIA.

I am also convinced that the Vietnamese National Motor Sport Federation will be a major player in addressing road safety issues.

My conviction has grown stronger since I attended yesterday the local launch of the FIA's international prevention campaign for road safety called #3500LIVES.

Indeed, the strong commitment of your Government, represented by the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and the authorities of the National Road Safety Committee, and of course that of the authorities of the city of Hanoi, demonstrates your deep commitment to curbing the scourge of road crashes.  I congratulate you for that.

In conclusion, I would like to assure you, Dear Nguyen Duc Chung, Dear Nguyên Thi Quy Phuong, dear all, of my personal support and that of all the FIA teams, so that this exceptional event can be an undeniable success for the city of Hanoi, for Vietnam and for the world motor sport community.

I look forward to seeing you in a year's time on the starting grid of the first Formula 1 Vietnamese Grand Prix in Hanoi!

Thank you for your attention, and congratulations to all of you.