The visit marks the first stop in his Southeast Asia tour, which also includes Indonesia and Singapore, and is part of France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy launched in 2018 to reinforce ties with partners in the region. It comes eight months after Party General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to France, highlighting growing bilateral relations and a stable, long-term framework of cooperation, French Ambassador Olivier Brochet told the press ahead of the visit.

President Macron will be accompanied by senior officials, including the ministers of the economy and armed forces, and is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese leaders to push forward economic and security cooperation. One highlight is an expected agreement between the French Development Agency and Vietnam’s National Power Transmission Corporation for a major grid project, in line with the Just Energy Transition Partnership supporting Vietnam’s shift to green energy.

Education and youth collaboration will be a central theme. Macron is set to meet students from the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (Vietnam-France University) and others enrolled in French-linked programmes such as the CFVG business school and the PFIEV engineering track. The events will spotlight the future of bilateral ties and the importance of investing in young talent, alongside France’s continued support for scientific research and innovation.

The leaders will also deal with global concerns, including Vietnam’s planned participation in the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025. Brochet said the visit would reaffirm both sides’ commitment to a balanced partnership that respects each country’s interests and sovereignty.

Asked about future priorities, he pointed to opportunities in energy, including nuclear, transport, and artificial intelligence, noting that French expertise could contribute to Vietnam’s high-speed rail project.

On cultural ties, Brochet laid stress on the enduring impact of educational exchanges and described Vietnamese alumni of French universities as a living bridge between the two nations. He underlined the need to preserve this foundation, which has supported bilateral understanding over the past three decades.

As part of its longstanding cultural presence in Vietnam, France has supported the Hue Festival for over two decades and is now backing the second Hanoi Photography Festival.

Cultural cooperation continues to grow. France has played a long-term role in the Hue Festival .A recent agreement between Sconnect Academy of Media Arts, the French Embassy, and Paris’s Gobelins animation school is set to further expand creative collaboration.

Brochet also noted Vietnam’s participation in the 78th Cannes Film Festival this year as a milestone for Vietnamese cinema and a sign of the nation’s growing international cultural recognition.

French historian sees Vietnam-France ties as deep and full of promise

VOV.VN - Historian and professor Dr. Pierre Journoud has offered in-depth analysis of the current situation and future prospects of Vietnam-France relations, which were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024 ahead of the state visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, slated for May 25-27.