President Luong Cuong presided over the welcoming ceremony for the President of the French Republic.

President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron review the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

At the invitation of President Luong Cuong, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived in Hanoi , starting a State visit to Vietnam from May 25 to 27, 2025.

On the morning of May 26, at the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong and his wife chaired the welcoming ceremony for President Emmanuel Macron and his wife on a state visit to Vietnam.

Attending the welcoming ceremony were Politburo member, Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang; Party Central Committee members: Nguyen Chi Dung, Deputy Prime Minister; Tran Quang Phuong, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly; Le Khanh Hai, Head of the Office of the President; Dao Hong Lan, Minister of Health; Nguyen Hai Ninh, Minister of Justice ; Do Duc Duy, Minister of Agriculture and Environment; Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee.

Also attending the welcoming ceremony were: Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy; Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham The Tung; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang; Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong; Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang; Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc; Deputy Minister of Finance Bui Van Khang; Assistant to the President Duong Quoc Hung; Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang.

A large number of children from the capital were present at the Presidential Palace waving the flags of both countries to welcome President Emmanuel Macron and his wife and the high-ranking delegation of the French Republic.

This is President Emmanuel Macron's first visit to Vietnam since he took office in 2017 and was re-elected in 2022. The visit is an event of special significance for bilateral relations, especially after the two countries upgraded their relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024 during the official visit to the French Republic by General Secretary and President To Lam.

The visit demonstrates the importance and strong commitment of the two countries' senior leaders to developing bilateral relations, bringing the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into substance and effectiveness.

The motorcade escorting President Emmanuel Macron and his wife entered the Presidential Palace. President Luong Cuong and his wife were present on the red carpet to warmly welcome President Emmanuel Macron, who led the high-ranking delegation of the French Republic on a state visit to Vietnam. Afterwards, children from the capital came forward to present President Emmanuel Macron and his wife with fresh bouquets of flowers.

To the sound of welcoming music, President Luong Cuong and President Emmanuel Macron walked down the red carpet to the waving of children to step onto the podium of honor. The military band played the national anthems of both countries.

President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron review the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. (Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA)

After listening to the national anthems of the two countries, the two heads of state left the podium, bowed to the military flag and inspected the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. Next, President Luong Cuong and President Emmanuel Macron introduced the members of the high-ranking delegations of the two countries attending the welcoming ceremony.

Over the past 50 years, the relationship between the two countries has been continuously strengthened and expanded in many fields. The two countries signed a Joint Statement on the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit to France (September 2013), bringing the relationship between the two countries to a deeper, more substantial and more effective level.

In particular, the relationship between the two countries was raised to a new level when the relationship was upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of General Secretary and President To Lam, now General Secretary To Lam, paying an official visit to the French Republic and attending the 19th Francophone Summit held in France in October 2024.

This milestone has made France the first country in the European Union (EU) to have a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam, and this upgrade has created an important foundation for promoting the relationship between the two countries to continue to develop strongly, deeply and effectively.

The two countries also maintain many regular exchange mechanisms on politics, economics, and defense at all levels; always coordinate and support each other in international organizations such as the United Nations, ASEM, ASEAN-EU, and the Francophone Community. In addition, the cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries has also developed positively. In education and training cooperation, France always considers this a priority goal in cooperation activities in Vietnam.

Along with that, cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange have always been a bright spot in the relationship between Vietnam and France. Local cooperation is also a special feature in the Vietnam-France relationship.

Economic and trade cooperation is an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries. France is currently Vietnam's fifth largest European trade partner and the leading ODA donor to Vietnam in the EU.

Bilateral trade turnover has continuously increased over the years, reaching 5.42 billion USD in 2024 and 1.79 billion USD in the first 4 months of 2025. The two countries cooperate and effectively utilize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), helping Vietnamese goods consolidate their position in the European market, while opening the door for Vietnamese goods to enter the French market.

Regarding investment, as of May 2025, France has 700 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 3.95 billion USD, ranking 16th out of 147 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

President Luong Cuong and his wife with members of the French delegation. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

Currently, the fields of green transformation, digital transformation and innovation are strategic choices and top priorities of Vietnam and are the fields in which Vietnam wishes to promote cooperation with international partners in the current and upcoming period, while France is strong in scientific research and is always among the top innovative countries in the world.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s choice of Vietnam as the first destination during his visit to Southeast Asia clearly demonstrates the strategic priority and profound importance that France attaches to its bilateral relationship with Vietnam. Vietnam’s position as the first and only ASEAN partner to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with France further reinforces this. At the same time, this is also an important step in implementing France’s Indo-Pacific strategy, thereby affirming Vietnam’s key role in France’s foreign policy in the region.

After the welcoming ceremony, President Luong Cuong and President Emmanuel Macron led high-ranking delegations from both countries to hold talks, assessing the results of cooperation between the two countries in recent times and proposing future cooperation directions. The two leaders will also witness the signing of cooperation documents and meet the press./.

Vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-luong-cuong-chu-tri-le-don-tong-thong-cong-hoa-phap-post1040690.vnp