Vietnam, France will face global challenges together

The Ambassador of the French Republic to Vietnam said that France wishes to accompany Vietnam in promoting regional autonomy, based on the principles of cooperation, respect and mutual development.

General Secretary To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

Immediately after the State visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife will lead a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the French Republic to attend the third United Nations Summit on Oceans.

The Prime Minister's visit represents a continuation of high-level dialogue, while promoting strategic cooperation in many areas such aseducation , science and technology, sustainable development and ocean protection.

Speaking to the press on June 4, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet affirmed that Vietnam is a close partner and holds a special position in France's connection strategy with ASEAN. The Ambassador emphasized that France wishes to accompany Vietnam in promoting regional autonomy, based on the principles of cooperation, respect and mutual development.

Vietnam and France are in sync on international issues

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, the State visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Vietnam was a memorable milestone, with many friendly moments and in-depth exchanges between the leaders of the two countries.

The French President and his wife met people on a walk in Hanoi's Old Quarter. (Photo: VNA)

“The French President and his wife were deeply moved by the warm and thoughtful welcome of the Vietnamese high-ranking leaders. The atmosphere of the meetings was both lively and friendly, demonstrating the desire from both sides to create new momentum for the bilateral relationship,” said Mr. Olivier Brochet.

The French Ambassador affirmed the seriousness and harmony in the analysis of the international situation from both sides. The leaders of the two countries shared a common assessment of a world with many political and commercial instabilities. In that context, neither France nor Vietnam chose to stand aside.

“We are sovereign nations, we always defend our right to self-determination and we want to cooperate with our partners, including the EU and ASEAN, to preserve rationality in international mechanisms, maintain balance and stability for the global system,” said Mr. Olivier Brochet.

President Macron’s recent visit demonstrated a strong consensus in views and determination to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, as well as between the EU and ASEAN. This is the foundation for implementing strategic cooperation in important areas such as security, defense, energy and science.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, view a photo exhibition on milestones in the relationship between the two countries, produced by the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

France and Vietnam are two countries that understand and trust each other, with a comprehensive strategic partnership. On that basis and with a common understanding of the international context, the two sides have established a “trusted dialogue” – the foundation for a truly solid partnership.

The Ambassador said that the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron has strengthened a real trust between the two countries and between the leaders, to face global challenges together in the coming time.

Strengthening cooperation in the environmental field

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's attendance at the United Nations Ocean Conference co-chaired by France and Costa Rica demonstrates Vietnam's strong commitment to global issues, especially climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity conservation.

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, with more than 3,200km of coastline, Vietnam is a country directly affected by rising sea levels, coastal erosion, declining fisheries resources and challenges to freedom of navigation. Therefore, Vietnam's voice at the Conference is even more meaningful.

“The Nice Conference is as important as the COPs on climate and biodiversity. We see the global future linked to the climate-ocean-biodiversity triangle. If one point in that triangle is weakened, all of humanity will be threatened. Therefore, France wishes to coordinate closely with Vietnam, including the proposal to organize a side event on the world's major deltas, including the Mekong Delta. The Nice Conference will be a clear demonstration of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” the Ambassador expressed.

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy and Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD) Rémy Rioux exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and AFD on cooperation in the field of agriculture and environment for the period 2025-2030. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

In addition to cooperation in the fields of marine and environmental affairs, innovation and scientific research are also becoming important pillars in Vietnam-France relations.

Over the past 30 years, higher education and research have always been the focus of cooperation between Vietnam and France. On that basis, France wishes to continue to strengthen cooperation in research and improve the quality of training.

“An important goal is to increase the number of Vietnamese students studying in France, as France offers high-quality education at reasonable costs - much of it funded by the state. We encourage young Vietnamese people to take advantage of this opportunity. At the same time, both sides also agreed to strengthen the Francophone movement in Vietnam to expand learning opportunities in the French-speaking space,” the Ambassador shared.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

In addition to basic sciences, research cooperation between the two countries is expanding to the fields of health, especially biomedicine, transportation, nuclear energy and applied technologies.

The Ambassador also stressed that the cultural sector has always played a special role in bilateral relations. President Macron met and talked with Vietnamese artists and spent more than an hour visiting a contemporary lacquer artisan workshop – showing his appreciation for Vietnamese culture.

“As Jean Monnet once said: ‘If I could do it all over again, I would not start with economics. I would start with culture.’ And that is vividly demonstrated in the Vietnam-France relationship today,” the Ambassador shared./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-phap-se-cung-doi-mat-voi-cac-thach-thuc-mang-tinh-toan-cau-post1042466.vnp