This is Macron’s first visit to Vietnam as President, and the fifth visit to Vietnam by a French President since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973.
Substantive cooperation
President Macron’s visit takes place just seven months after a visit to France by Vietnam’s Party General Secretary To Lam in October, 2024, when the two nations upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Macron’s visit reflects the French leadership’s high regard for, and strong commitment to strengthening ties with, Vietnam.
The two countries have made significant progress in bilateral cooperation since upgrading their ties. Political and diplomatic relations have been strengthened through expanded cooperation mechanisms, including the first Maritime Dialogue between the two Foreign Ministries held in Hanoi.
Vietnam and France have enhanced coordination on global issues, including at the Artificial Intelligence Summit in Paris and the P4G Summit in Hanoi earlier this year, and the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice next month.
A March visit to Ho Chi Minh City by the frigate Provence from France’s aircraft carrier strike group contributed to peace, maritime security, and freedom of navigation in line with international law.
"In today’s rapidly changing world, Vietnam and France continue to share a common vision on many key issues. That includes enhancing cooperation to bring about shared prosperity, pursuing sustainable development goals, and working together to address global challenges," Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang said.
Economic cooperation, a pillar of the Vietnam-France comprehensive strategic partnership, has been seeing positive developments. Bilateral trade turnover increased 12% in 2024, surpassing 5.4 billion USD. Cooperation in energy, urban transportation, strategic infrastructure, healthcare, education, and sister city partnerships, continues to expand.
During his visit to Vietnam in early May, Laurent Saint-Martin, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there is considerable potential in Vietnam-France economic cooperation, and the two countries can capitalize on their strategic partnership in the future.
"France is capable of meeting the Vietnamese government’s major strategic priorities of infrastructure, transportation, energy, and aviation. Vietnam, with 100 million people and a growing middle class, is a strong potential market for French businesses," said Laurent Saint-Martin.
Promoting new cooperation priorities
Besides traditional areas of cooperation, Vietnam and France have great opportunities to match Vietnam’s development goals with France’s strengths, such as nuclear energy, science, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Vietnam’s Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation sets science and technology as a top national priority in the new development era. This orientation has been hailed by the international community, particularly the French scientific research community.
Sarah Marniesse, Executive Director for AFD Campus, said Vietnam is aleading middle-income country in innovation, with a huge potential to compete in global high-tech markets.
Vietnam has been rising in the global innovation rankings, and was 2nd of 38 middle-income countries in the 2024 Global Innovation Index.
"The Vietnamese government's efforts have paid off. Vietnam has emerged as a leading innovator among middle-income countries since 2022. The development of science, technology, and innovation is now considered a top national policy, and we are witnessing strategic breakthroughs in this area," Marniesse said.
As one of the world’s powers in energy, aviation, computing, and AI and the top investment destination in Europe over the past five years, particularly in high-tech sectors, France holds numerous advantages that can complement Vietnam’s new strategic priorities.
President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled exchange with students at the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi reflects a mutual interest in advancing cooperation under the comprehensive strategic partnership.