At the talks, Cuong said the French President’s state visit, accompanied by his spouse, underscores a strong commitment to pushing the bilateral partnership in a more substantive and effective manner.

He affirmed that Vietnam places high importance on developing broader cooperation with France and supports its active participation in multilateral organisations, including the United Nations, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, and UNESCO.

The Vietnamese State leader proposed that both countries make full use of their complementary strengths to jointly tackle global challenges and manage regional and international developments in a balanced way.

Expressing his pleasure at visiting Vietnam for the first time, President Macron described the country as an important partner in ASEAN and in France’s Indo-Pacific strategy. He said he was impressed by Vietnam’s dynamic growth and notable socio-economic achievements in recent years.

Congratulating Vietnam on its rising profile in the region and on the global stage, Macron reaffirmed France’s wish to further augment cooperation in traditional areas such as health, education and culture, while expanding into new fields including infrastructure, urban transport, aerospace, clean energy, and historical preservation in line with the scope of the current comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two leaders exchanged views and agreed on major orientations for future cooperation. On political and diplomatic ties, they committed to deepening exchanges and contacts at all levels, particularly at the highest level across all channels; ensuring the effective implementation of existing cooperation mechanisms; considering the establishment of new ones; and maintaining close coordination at regional and global forums.

On defence and security, both sides consented to continue carrying out signed agreements, in the fields of defence and security, including cooperation in combating transnational crime.
President Cuong also invited senior French leaders to attend the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in October 2025.

In the economic sphere, the two leaders pledged to enhance trade and investment ties and fully implementing the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). France pledged to support the early ratification of the EU–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), press the European Commission to lift its "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood, and facilitate greater access for Vietnamese aquatic products to French and EU markets.

The two sides also concurred to boost cooperation in science and technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and digital transformation, with a focus on training high-quality human resources. They committed to expanding joint research, promoting technology transfer and mastery, and investing in digital infrastructure.

Cooperation in traditional areas such as education and training, health care, justice, culture, tourism, agriculture, and climate action will also be reinforced.

Vietnam called on France to continue its support through official development assistance (ODA) and concessional loans, particularly for projects aimed at boosting climate resilience and improving workforce capacity in the energy sector. France was also asked to maintain its assistance for Vietnam in implementing specific projects under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

The Vietnamese State leader expressed appreciation for France’s support to the Vietnamese community and urged the French Government to maintain favourable conditions for them to integrate well and contribute to the host society as well as to bilateral ties. He also called on France to soon confirm its participation in the 13th Vietnam–France Decentralised Cooperation Conference.

On regional and international issues, Cuong reiterated Vietnam’s consistent “Four No’s” defence policy and highlighted the importance of multilateralism, with the United Nations playing a central role.

President Macron reaffirmed his support for ASEAN’s position on the East Sea. Both sides underscored that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) remains the comprehensive legal framework for all maritime activities and cooperation. They reiterated their shared commitment to upholding peace, stability, and security in the region, ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight, and settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law. They also expressed support for an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) for the East Sea, consistent with the 1982 UNCLOS.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the handover of a series of cooperation documents covering defence, security, justice, nuclear energy, climate adaptation, transport, vaccine technology, aviation, and other fields.

Ample room remains for Vietnam-France defence cooperation: Minister

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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.