Ambassador Olivier Brochet: France is a reliable partner and companion in Vietnam's development.

French Ambassador: President Emmanuel Macron's visit

General Secretary To Lam received French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet on April 17. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

On the occasion of the State visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife to Vietnam from May 25-27 at the invitation of President Luong Cuong, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet shared with the press the significance and highlights of the visit.

Strong momentum across multiple sectors

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Vietnam is part of a three-country tour in Southeast Asia. After Vietnam, the French President will visit Indonesia and Singapore. The trip aims to implement France's Indo- Pacific strategy, demonstrating a stronger commitment to partners in the region, as well as the desire to strengthen cooperative relations for mutual development.

Emphasizing that President Emmanuel Macron chose Vietnam as the first destination of his visit, Ambassador Olivier Brochet said this clearly demonstrates the respect and special relationship between the two countries.

During General Secretary and President To Lam's visit to France in October 2024, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Eight months later, President Emmanuel Macron's visit reaffirmed the strong development of bilateral relations, thereby demonstrating France's desire to be a reliable partner and a companion for development.

"I hope that during the upcoming visit to Vietnam by the French President, on the basis of the good relations and trustworthy dialogue, our two countries will strongly strengthen the partnership in all fields, from politics, economics, research, education, culture, defense... to global issues and challenges. And I believe that the upcoming high-level meetings will be an opportunity to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between France and Vietnam, demonstrated by concrete results and steps in the coming time," said Ambassador Olivier Brochet.

During his three-day visit to Hanoi, in addition to meetings and talks with senior leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, President Emmanuel Macron will visit and meet with students of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and students studying French-sponsored training programs such as the French-Vietnamese management training program at the French-Vietnamese Center for Management Training (CFVG), or the high-quality engineering training program (PFIEV).

Here, the French leader is expected to deliver a speech aimed at Vietnamese youth, mentioning the cooperative relationship between the two countries, the role of youth in promoting bilateral relations as well as France's support for research, training and innovation activities in universities in Vietnam.

Notably, accompanying the French President were many high-ranking officials of the French Government, including the Minister of Economy and Finance, the Minister of the Army..., so this was also an opportunity for the Ministers to meet with Vietnamese partners to promote a number of cooperation projects between the two sides in many fields, especially economics, defense and security.

Another important topic of discussion during the visit is the ways for France to accompany and support Vietnam in implementing the energy transition process. It is expected that a document will be signed between the French Development Agency (AFD) and the National Electricity Transmission Corporation to build a power transmission line.

This project is within the framework of France's support to Vietnam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). This is an important document not only in terms of economics and politics, but also shows what France can do to accompany Vietnam in the framework of implementing the energy transition, especially in the framework of implementing JETP.

Global issues and challenges were also discussed during the French President’s talks with senior Vietnamese leaders. Next June, France will host the third United Nations Ocean Summit in Nice and Vietnam will send a high-level delegation to attend the event. This is one of the topics that President Emmanuel Macron will discuss with Vietnamese leaders.

On this occasion, a special event will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 27, the French Tech Summit Vietnam 2025 (FTSV 2025), which is expected to attract about 1,500 delegates from Vietnam and France, including policymakers, business leaders, investors, startups and technology experts from the two countries.

This is one of the specific activities to realize the Joint Statement on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and France, which emphasizes the priority of enhancing cooperation in the fields of high technology, innovation and digital transformation. The event is expected to open a period of deeper cooperation in the fields of technology and innovation between Vietnam and France.

French Ambassador: President Emmanuel Macron's visit

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet meets the press ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges

According to the French Ambassador to Vietnam, when it comes to bilateral relations, there will be many areas to discuss, from politics, economics, to culture, education... but short-term or long-term, the core is still the relationship between the people of the two countries, between the two nations.

Over the past 50 years, in the overall bilateral cooperation relationship, people-to-people exchange between the two countries has been increasingly developed. Many students studying in France then returned to work in Vietnam, creating bridges connecting the two countries and two peoples.

Recognizing that human capital is an important factor creating connections in the France-Vietnam relationship, Mr. Olivier Brochet said that in nearly two years of serving as French Ambassador to Vietnam, what he was pleased to see was that there were many delegations from French research institutions visiting Vietnam and vice versa. For example, the visit to Vietnam of the President and CEO of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Professor Antoine Petit (2023) or President of the Pasteur Institute Paris Professor Stewart Cole (2022)... According to him, such visits are an opportunity for the two sides to connect and increase relations between officials and personnel of France and Vietnam, contributing to strengthening bilateral relations.

At the same time, Ambassador Olivier Brochet also emphasized the vibrant cultural exchange between the two countries. In particular, France wishes not only to organize events to introduce French culture to Vietnam, but more importantly to develop relationships and cooperation to develop the cultural and creative industries in Vietnam. This is demonstrated through France's support for the organization of major festivals such as the Hue Festival, which France has worked with Hue for the past 20 years, as well as the second Hanoi Photography Festival in a few months.

Cultural exchanges between the two countries are also reflected in France's support for the development of film and animation studios in Vietnam. Recently, the Sconnect Academy of Media Arts (SAMA) (Vietnam) with the French Embassy in Vietnam and Gobelins Paris, one of the world's leading animation schools, signed a cooperation agreement.

With the cooperation and support from the French Embassy, Vietnam will have a booth at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this year.

"Overall, this visit is an opportunity for both sides to strongly affirm their desire to consolidate, strengthen and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the coming time. This is also an opportunity for both sides to realize their determination through actions to jointly build a modern and dynamic relationship and partnership on the basis of respecting the interests and sovereignty of each of our countries," the French diplomat concluded.

Strong momentum across multiple sectors

Strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges

Comment (0)