Foreign Affairs of the Week: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Vietnam, Prime Minister attends 46th ASEAN Summit

Đối ngoại trong tuần: chia buồn nguyên Chủ tịch nước Trần Đức Lương từ trần;

General Secretary To Lam meets with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on a state visit to Vietnam. (Photo: Minh Nhat)

High-level diplomacy

Receiving First Deputy Secretary General of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) Nomvula Mokonyane on May 20, General Secretary To Lam believes that Ms. Mokonyane's visit will contribute to tightening relations between the two parties and further promoting relations between Vietnam and South Africa.

On May 20, General Secretary To Lam had a meeting with Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The General Secretary thanked Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo for always accompanying and devoting much effort to the conservation and promotion of heritage in Vietnam.

Upon hearing the news of the passing of former Politburo member and former President Tran Duc Luong, leaders of many countries and the international community sent condolences. Ambassadors and representatives of many foreign embassies in Vietnam came to pay their respects and sign the condolence book.

On May 25, at the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong received Ms. Men Sam On, Vice President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) , President of the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Motherland, President of the Cambodia - Vietnam Friendship Association; and Ms. Pany Yathotou, Politburo member, Vice President of Laos, on the occasion of the leaders leading a high-ranking delegation to pay their respects and attend the funeral of former President Tran Duc Luong.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife are on a State visit to Vietnam from May 25-27. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife attended the State welcoming ceremony chaired by President Luong Cuong; and together with General Secretary To Lam and his wife visited the Temple of Literature . After the welcoming ceremony, President Luong Cuong held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

General Secretary To Lam met with French President Emmanuel Macron , and together with the French leader visited the Stilt House and fed fish inside the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site and planted a friendship tree there. On this occasion, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also had a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.

At the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid an official visit to Malaysia and attended the 46th ASEAN Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from May 24-28. On bilateral issues, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim , met with President of the Malaysian Senate Dato Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah , and met with Speaker of the House of Representatives of the host country Tan Sri Dato' Johari Bin Abdul.

On multilateral issues, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the 46th ASEAN Summit Plenary Session ; chaired a working breakfast with the Prime Ministers of Laos and Cambodia ; joined leaders of ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste in a closed session to discuss international and regional issues ; attended and delivered a speech at the ASEAN Leaders' Dialogue with representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) ; signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on "ASEAN 2045: Our Common Future" and adopted the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and four strategies; met bilaterally with leaders of ASEAN member countries...

Chairing the meeting of the Government Standing Committee on the second round of negotiations on the bilateral agreement on reciprocal trade between Vietnam and the United States on May 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested ministries, branches and relevant agencies to continue to monitor and closely follow the negotiation situation and related developments, closely follow the direction of the Politburo and the General Secretary, and direct the development and proposal of appropriate, effective and practical solutions for both sides, in the spirit of harmonious benefits and shared risks.

On May 21, receiving Rabbi Yoav Ben Tzur, Minister of Labor of Israel who is visiting and working in Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed that Israel cooperate and support Vietnam in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and startups; in return, Vietnam will support and supplement Israel in human resources. On the same day, receiving Chau Gia Nghia, President of Asia-Pacific of Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) and a consortium of contractors and cooperation partners in Vietnam, the Prime Minister hoped that PowerChina Group would strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese partners in the fields of clean energy, strategic infrastructure, especially standard gauge railways and urban railways, including the Hai Phong-Hanoi-Lao Cai railway to connect with Kunming-Chongqing, and to European countries.

Activities of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty Commission (SEANWFZ), the 29th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting and the 36th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting; bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of member countries ; ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers' Meeting (May 25); taking place on the afternoon of May 25, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

On May 23, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the draft Decrees on decentralization, delegation of power, and determination of authority associated with the organization of a two-level local government model . Based on the comments at the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to absorb and complete the draft Decrees and send them to the Ministry of Justice for appraisal before submitting them to the Government members for comments.

Chairing the meeting to review the organization of the 4th Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Summit on May 21, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son assessed that after 4 working days (from April 14-17), with more than 20 in-depth and substantive discussions, the 4th P4G Summit with the theme "Sustainable green transformation, people-centered" ended successfully in all aspects, despite taking place in the context of complicated developments in the international situation.

Bilateral diplomacy

Receiving Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam on May 23, Party Central Committee member and Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong suggested that the two sides should focus on discussions to promote key areas of cooperation in the coming time, through early agreement on the Action Program to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as agreed between the Prime Ministers of the two countries during the recent official visit of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Vietnam.

On May 22, receiving New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford , Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized that 2025 is of great significance as it marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Deputy Minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to develop relations with New Zealand in a deeper and more comprehensive manner.

From May 22-23, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang paid a working visit to Serbia . During the visit, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Serbian Deputy Foreign Minister Damjan Jovic co-chaired the Vietnam-Serbia Political Consultation; had working sessions with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, Minister in charge of international economic cooperation Nenad Popovic, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Tamara Rastovac Siamasvili.

During her visit to Sweden from May 20-21 , Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang had meetings with State Secretary of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dag Hartelius, Director General for Trade Camilla Melander, Director General for Global Affairs Mikael Lindvall and Director General of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Parliament Anna-Karin Hedström.

Receiving Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama on May 26, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that Vietnam always values and supports the just struggle of the Palestinian people for their basic national rights. At the same time, he emphasized Vietnam's consistent stance of supporting the two-state solution.

Speaking at the Africa Day 2025 Celebration themed “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations” on May 23, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that Vietnam always wishes to further deepen multifaceted cooperation with Africa, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. Vietnam is ready to continue to accompany and make more practical contributions to the AU’s Agenda 2063.

On May 22, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang had a phone call with Saudi Arabian Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Bin Abdulkarim El Khereiji . The two sides agreed to actively research and promote the early establishment of a new, extensive and substantive cooperation framework, creating favorable conditions for expanding cooperation in all fields, while further promoting the effectiveness of other bilateral mechanisms such as the Vietnam-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee.

In a phone call with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheen on May 22, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed the importance of the traditional friendly relationship with Egypt and thanked Egypt for sending an invitation to senior Vietnamese leaders to visit and attend the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in July 2025.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang chaired the Conference to review the Project “Developing relations between Vietnam and Middle East-Africa countries in the period of 2016-2025” on May 20 in Hanoi. Attending the conference were more than 200 delegates representing leaders of ministries, branches, research institutes, leaders of many associations, large enterprises, representatives of leaders of more than 30 provinces and cities across the country and Vietnamese representative agencies in the Middle East-Africa region.

From May 19-22, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi visited St. Petersburg, participated in a series of meaningful activities to celebrate the 135th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh , attended the 5th Vietnam Week in St. Petersburg (previously Vietnam Day held since 2018) and accompanied Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan to attend the 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress.

On the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Malaysia and attendance at the 46th ASEAN Summit, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh shared with TG&VN the significance of the visit and the cooperation efforts between the two countries in promoting the ASEAN 2025 agenda. Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai assessed that the Prime Minister's working trip is of special strategic and timely importance.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet shared with the press the significance and highlights of the visit on the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife's State visit to Vietnam from May 25-27 at the invitation of President Luong Cuong. According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang , French President Emmanuel Macron's choice of the S-shaped country as the first destination of his regional tour clearly demonstrates the strategic priority and profound importance that France attaches to the bilateral relationship with Vietnam.

New Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird shares with TG&VN about bilateral and multilateral relations and many opportunities with the S-shaped strip of land.

Multilateral diplomacy

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong attended and delivered a speech at the China-ASEAN-US Trilateral Roundtable Dialogue on May 19, organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. The dialogue was attended by Vietnamese strategic research institutes and internationally renowned scholars specializing in US-China relations from leading research institutes in ASEAN, the US and China.

On May 24, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet attended the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) in preparation for the 46th ASEAN Summit and related Summits to review preparations ahead of the event.

Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet, Head of Vietnam ASEAN SOM, answered questions from the press about the Prime Minister's official visit to Malaysia and attendance at the 46th ASEAN Summit and related Summits in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) from May 24-28. Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to ASEAN, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, shared with TG&VN about the strategic documents expected to be adopted within the framework of the Summit and assessed the attractiveness of ASEAN in the new context.

On May 21, at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York , a ceremony was held to celebrate International Tea Day (May 21) , with the participation of representatives from many UN agencies and member countries, including the world's leading tea producing and consuming countries. Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the UN, attended and spoke at the event.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang reaffirmed that as a coastal country, Vietnam supports all efforts and initiatives to promote maritime security and safety... at the high-level open discussion on the topic "Enhancing maritime security through international cooperation for global stability" on May 20-21.

On May 20, Vietnam, as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Group at the United Nations in Vienna, coordinated with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to successfully organize a workshop within the framework of the 34th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ 34) , with the theme "Mechanism for assessing the implementation of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC): Lessons and experiences from countries in the Asia-Pacific region".

Other activities

TG&VN Newspaper has published an article looking back at the marks of former President Tran Duc Luong in the diplomatic sector .

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a seminar with the theme “Marks of pride: Female diplomats and the journey to affirm Vietnam's position in the international arena” on May 22. This is the second program in a series of events towards the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese Diplomatic Service (August 28, 1945 - August 28, 2025). The seminar was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang.

On May 23, the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a scientific workshop with the theme "Assessing the current situation of the Diplomatic sector" , attracting the participation of many leaders of units, cadres, civil servants, public employees, experts and researchers inside and outside the Ministry. Master Nguyen Hoai Nam, Chief of the Ministry's Office, chaired the workshop. The workshop is one of the activities within the framework of the sub-topic of the Ministry-level Key Science and Technology Research Program "Building a comprehensive and modern Diplomatic sector in the new era".

Last week, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad solemnly held a memorial service and wrote in the condolence book for former Politburo member and former President Tran Duc Luong .

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/doi-ngoai-trong-tuan-to-ng-thong-phap-emmanuel-macron-tham-viet-nam-thu-tuong-du-hoi-nghi-cap-cao-asean-la-n-thu-46-315579.html