French President visits Vietnam: A visit of special significance

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron (Photo: Getty).

According to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron and his wife will pay a State visit to Vietnam. The visit will take place from May 25 to 27, at the invitation of President Luong Cuong.

In an interview with the press on May 23, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet emphasized that this is "an extremely important visit in the bilateral relationship between France and Vietnam".

The visit to Vietnam is part of a tour to three Southeast Asian countries by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife. After visiting Vietnam, the French President will visit Indonesia and Singapore.

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, the French President's visit to Southeast Asia is also within the framework of implementing France's Indo- Pacific Strategy launched in 2018, demonstrating France's desire and stronger commitment to its partners in the region, creating a partnership for stability, cooperation and development.

"During this visit to three Southeast Asian countries, the French President wishes to visit Vietnam first. That clearly demonstrates the very special and strong relationship between France and Vietnam," Ambassador Olivier Brochet emphasized.

Over the past decades, Vietnam-France relations have continuously expanded cooperation in all fields. In October 2024, during General Secretary To Lam 's visit to France, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The French Ambassador affirmed that eight months after General Secretary To Lam's visit, President Emmanuel Macron's upcoming visit to Vietnam aims to once again affirm "the strong development of bilateral relations as well as the good framework of relations that the two countries have established".

Cooperation in all fields

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet speaks to the press on May 23 (Photo: Thanh Dat).

Ambassador Olivier Brochet said that areas such as energy, including nuclear energy, as well as transportation and high technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), are areas in which France wishes to increase priority cooperation with Vietnam in the coming time.

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, France sees these as areas that meet Vietnam's needs. France is particularly interested in the visions that Vietnam has put forward, especially major projects to develop Vietnam's strategic infrastructure, for example the project related to Vietnam's high-speed railway. This is an area in which many French businesses have strengths.

"Recently, many French delegations have visited Vietnam to better understand Vietnam's development needs. We hope that these contacts will continue to take place to open up new cooperation opportunities between the two sides," Ambassador Olivier Brochet stated.

Ambassador Olivier Brochet also said that over the past 30 years, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have grown. Many Vietnamese students have studied in France and returned to work in Vietnam, thereby creating links to bilateral relations. This is an important foundation to promote relations between France and Vietnam.

The French diplomat also wanted to highlight the cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field. Cultural cooperation not only includes organizing events to help Vietnamese people better understand French culture, but also contributes to the development of the so-called cultural and creative industries.

"The French President's visit to Vietnam this time is an opportunity to affirm the strength of the relationship between the two countries, as well as the desire to enhance the relationship to new heights in the coming time. This is also an opportunity for both sides to affirm their determination to work together to build a modern and dynamic partnership on the basis of mutual respect," said the French diplomat.

"We hope that during the upcoming visit to Vietnam by the French President, on the basis of a trustworthy partnership, the two countries will strongly strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all areas, from politics to economics, scientific research, education, culture, defense as well as global challenges. We also believe that the upcoming high-level meeting between the two sides will be an opportunity to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between France and Vietnam. This will be demonstrated by very specific actions in the coming time," Ambassador Olivier Brochet emphasized.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tong-thong-phap-tham-viet-nam-chuyen-tham-mang-y-nghia-dac-biet-quan-trong-20250524075825173.htm