HCMC— French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, arrived in Hanoi on Sunday evening, kicking off a three-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.
The visit marks Macron’s first trip to Vietnam since taking office and is the fifth visit by a French president since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1973.
The visit comes as Vietnam and France seek to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, upgraded in October 2024, making France the first EU nation to establish such high-level ties with Vietnam.
Speaking at a press briefing on May 23, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet expressed optimism about the visit, highlighting expectations for strengthened cooperation across political, economic, defense, and cultural domains.
France and Vietnam have shared diplomatic ties since April 12, 1973, evolving into a Strategic Partnership in 2013 and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year. France is Vietnam’s fifth-largest European trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching US$5.42 billion in 2024, a 12.9% increase from 2023. France ranks 16th among 147 countries investing in Vietnam, with 700 active projects worth US$3.95 billion. Vietnam, in turn, has 20 investment projects in France, totaling US$38.93 million.
Macron’s visit is expected to include high-level talks with Vietnamese leaders to explore new opportunities for collaboration, building on decades of growing partnership.
