In his address at the event, Nguyen Hai Nam, Chairman of ABVietFrance, gave an overview of Vietnam, noting its area of more than 331,000 sq km and a population of about 101 million, with 67% under the age of 45, a demographic advantage rooted in a young population structure. He highlighted major economic achievements since the launch of the Doi Moi (renewal) process  in 1986 and Vietnam’s gradual deepening integration into the regional and global economy, including its accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007, and the implementation of the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement from August 2020.

Over the past two decades, Vietnam has maintained an average growth rate of 6.3% per year, among the highest in Asia. Growth reached 7.1% in 2024 and 8.02% in 2025. GDP expanded from US$57 billion in 2005 to US$514 billion in 2025, a 19-fold increase over 20 years.

In 2025 alone, exports totaled US$475 billion, up 17% year on year, while total trade hit US$930 billion, an 18.2% rise. The economic structure has continued to shift toward industrialization, with industry accounting for 38% of GDP, services 50%, and agriculture 12%.

Alongside export-led growth, Nguyen Hai Nam pointed to the role of a domestic market of more than 100 million people, a growing middle class, and consistently high inflows of foreign direct investment in recent years, which together are driving the country’s industrialization and modernization.

According to the ABVietFrance leader, Vietnam aims by 2030 to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income status, and by 2045 to become a high-income developed nation with GDP per capita of about US$15,000.

He said the country is at a favorable stage of development, particularly following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which set long-term strategic directions toward 2030 and 2045.

In this context,  ABVietFrance introduced EDHEC students to opportunities for cooperation, internships, and employment in Vietnam across fields such as import–export, information technology, artificial intelligence, education and training, tourism, media, business development, and start-ups. The association also expressed a desire to augment cooperation between educational institutions in the two countries, while  strengthening links among young talent.

Speaking to the press in Paris, Nguyen Céline, a Vietnamese-French student enrolled in EDHEC’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, said Vietnam is a developing country with many opportunities that are not yet widely known. She said she hoped the seminar would help students better understand Vietnam’s culture and business environment, enabling them to seek internships and jobs in a dynamic country with a strong cultural identity.

Meanwhile, MARQUIS Noemie, President of EDHEC’s Asian Business and Culture Association, said the association’s goal is to promote Asian cultures on campus. She described cooperation with ABVietFrance as a fitting opportunity to introduce Vietnamese culture, adding that the seminar offered students a more multidimensional view of the major opportunities emerging in Vietnam at a new period of development.

Vietnam, France step up cooperation in education, sustainable development

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has recently paid a working trip to Perpignan city of Pyrénées-Orientales province in Occitanie region, opening new avenues for cooperation across economy, education, energy transition and sustainable growth, the strategic priorities shared by both countries.