French President and First Lady begin State visit to Vietnam

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

Welcoming the delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were: Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai; Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, and Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived in Hanoi , beginning a State visit to Vietnam.

Accompanying the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron and his wife on their State visit to Vietnam were: Mr. Eric Lombard, Minister of Economy, Finance, Industrial Sovereignty and Digitalization; Mr. Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces; Ms. Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture; Mr. François-Noël Buffet, Minister in charge of the Interior ; Mr. Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Minister in charge of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, in charge of Francophone and International Partnerships; Mr. Olivier Brochet, French Ambassador to Vietnam; Mr. Fabien Mandon, Special Chief of the General Staff of the French President; Mr. Emmanuel Bonne, Foreign Affairs Advisor, Special Representative of the French President at the G20/G7 Senior Officials' Meeting; Mr. Walid Fouque, Asia Advisor to the French President; Mr. Xavier Chatel, Advisor on Strategic Affairs and Disarmament of the French President; Mr. Matthieu Landon, Advisor for Industry, Research and Innovation, French Presidential Palace; Ms. Ombeline Gras, Advisor for General Affairs, French Presidential Palace; Mr. Jean-Noël Ladois, Advisor for International Communications, French Presidential Palace.

President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron was born on December 21, 1977. He has a university degree in Philosophy (Paris X-Nanterre); Paris Institute of Political Studies (SciencePo-Paris); French National School of Administration ENA (2002-2004).

Mr. Emmanuel Macron has held the following positions: Financial Inspector at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance (2004-2007); worked for Rothschild and Company Group, in the field of business banking (2008-2011) and senior manager at Rothschild and Company (2011-2012); Deputy Secretary General of the Office of President François Hollande (2013-7/2014); Minister of Economy and Finance under President François Hollande (8/2014-5/2016).

From May 2017 to present, Mr. Emmanuel Macron is President of the French Republic (2nd term from May 2022).

President Emmanuel Macron is sympathetic to Vietnam and loves Vietnamese cuisine. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to France on an official visit in March 2018; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to France on an official visit in November 2021; and General Secretary and President To Lam to France on an official visit in October 2024.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, during the visit, the two sides are expected to discuss in depth many specific areas and projects to promote economic - trade - investment priorities, enhance defense - security cooperation, innovation, science and technology, education and training, and health. The signing of new cooperation agreements within the framework of the visit will create an important driving force and legal basis for cooperation activities between the two countries in the coming years.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that the State visit to Vietnam by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife is a very important visit in the relationship between France and Vietnam. The visit is the first destination within the framework of the tour to 3 Southeast Asian countries by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife: Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore.

In October 2024, during General Secretary To Lam's visit to France, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. And eight months after General Secretary To Lam's visit, President Emmanuel Macron's State visit to Vietnam reaffirmed the strong development of bilateral relations as well as the good framework of relations that the two countries have established.

According to VNA

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/tong-thong-phap-va-phu-nhan-bat-dau-tham-cap-nha-nuoc-toi-viet-nam-postid418833.bbg