Bringing the Vietnam - France Strategic Partnership to a new height

Over the past 50 years, the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and France has become increasingly strong, deepened, and comprehensive, diverse, and effective in all fields. At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, General Secretary and President To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation paid an official visit to the French Republic on October 6 and 7, 2024.

This is the final stop in the working visit of General Secretary and President To Lam from September 30 to October 7, 2024. General Secretary and President To Lam's visit to France takes place in the context of the positive development of relations between the two countries in recent times. The visit aims to demonstrate the high regard of the Party and State of Vietnam for the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership and to deepen and practicalize the relationship between the two countries. Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level on April 12, 1973. Since then, the Vietnam-France relationship has developed positively. The visit to Vietnam by French President Francois Mitterand in March 1993 marked an important turning point in the relationship with Vietnam, especially in the strategies and policies that France implemented in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. On the Vietnamese side, Vietnam attaches special importance to the cooperative relationship with France, always considering France an important partner in foreign policy and constantly deepening the traditional friendship, trust and strategic partnership between the two countries. 40 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries signed a Joint Statement on the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership during the visit to France by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (September 2013). This milestone has created momentum for the relationship between the two countries to become increasingly deeper, more substantial and more effective. The good political relationship between the two countries is marked by high-level visits, notably the official visits to the French Republic by President Tran Duc Luong (2002), Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (2013), General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (March 2018); National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (April 2019); Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (November 2021)... and visits to Vietnam by French President François Hollande (2016); French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe (November 2018); President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher (December 2022); French Minister of Foreign Trade Olivier Becht (March 2023); French Minister of the Army Sébastien Lecornu attending the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 2024)... In addition, senior leaders of the two countries also regularly send letters and have phone calls, such as: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a phone call with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (November 28, 2022), General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had a high-level phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron (October 20, 2023)... In 2023, the two countries will organize many meaningful activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (April 12, 1973 - April 12, 2023) and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership (2013-2023). These include: The 12th Conference on Cooperation between Vietnamese and French Localities held in Hanoi; 3D exhibition on Quoc Tu Giam, the event "Walking Around France" with food stalls, exchanges and experiences; exhibition about France; premiere of the musical "The Little Prince"; Organize fashion contests, seminars at Vietnamese universities to emphasize the importance of the relationship between the two countries, light shows in Hue... The two countries also maintain many regular exchange mechanisms on politics, economy, and defense at all levels, notably: the Defense Security Strategy Dialogue between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Vietnam and France, chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the annual high-level economic dialogue co-chaired by the Minister of Planning and Investment of Vietnam and the Minister of Foreign Trade of France; the Defense Strategy Dialogue at the Deputy Minister level between the two Ministries of Defense. In the current world context, Vietnam and France have many favorable conditions to strengthen relations. France is a core power in Europe, actively promoting its global role, and has important interests and influence in Asia.

At the Élysée Palace, Paris, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the morning of November 4, 2021. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Vietnam is a fast-growing, dynamic economy, playing an important role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia. The two countries also share many similar views and interests in international issues. Therefore, strengthening Vietnam-France cooperation has become an objective and necessary requirement for the benefit of both countries. The two sides always coordinate and support each other in international organizations such as the United Nations, ASEM, ASEAN-EU and the Francophone Community. In addition, the cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries has also been increasingly developing positively through regular exchanges, high-level contacts, and experience exchanges between the agencies of the National Assembly and friendship parliamentary groups to enhance trust and promote comprehensive relations in all fields. Economic and trade cooperation is an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries. France is currently the 4th largest trading partner, the 2nd largest investor and the leading ODA provider for Vietnam in the European Union (EU). Bilateral trade turnover increased by 42% over the past 10 years, reaching 5.33 billion USD in 2022; 4.8 billion USD in 2023; and 2.96 billion USD in the first 7 months of 2024. Vietnam mainly exports to France footwear, textiles, ceramic products, rattan and bamboo products, seafood, machinery and equipment, electronic components... and mainly imports from France aviation equipment, industrial machinery, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and food products, chemicals and cosmetics... The two countries are currently cooperating and effectively utilizing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), helping Vietnamese goods consolidate their position in the European market, while opening the door for Vietnamese goods to enter the French market. In recent times, the Vietnam Trade Office in France has coordinated with partners to develop a comprehensive medium and long-term program to promote and spread Vietnamese culture, cuisine and goods to a large number of consumers in France. One of the outstanding activities that the Vietnam Trade Office in France has implemented in recent times is the organization of the Vietnamese Goods Week program in France through the supermarket systems of the largest French retail groups such as: Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Sys U... Through the Vietnamese Goods Week in France, local consumers have become more familiar with Vietnamese goods. In terms of investment, as of August 2024, France has 692 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 3.93 billion USD, ranking 16th out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. French direct investment focuses mainly on the following areas: Information and communication, processing and manufacturing industry, production and distribution of electricity, gas and air conditioning... Meanwhile, the total preferential ODA loans from France to Vietnam reached 3 billion euros. Many French projects in Vietnam contribute to the development, modernization, improvement of the quality and living environment of Vietnamese people such as the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station Urban Railway Project, climate change response projects in the Mekong Delta... According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, currently, the fields of green transformation, digital transformation and innovation are strategic choices, top priorities of Vietnam and are the areas in which Vietnam wishes to promote cooperation with international partners in the current and upcoming period, while France is strong in scientific research and is always among the top innovative countries in the world. There are currently many specific areas in which Vietnam has needs while France has strengths and can complement Vietnam.

France is currently the fourth largest trade partner, second largest investor and leading ODA donor for Vietnam in the European Union (EU). (Photo: VNA)

The two countries can expand cooperation in energy, aerospace, green hydrogen technology development, semiconductor applications, rare mineral use, undersea cables, etc. Regarding green development goals, the two countries can also promote cooperation in the fields of ecological agriculture, circular agriculture, green tourism, climate change response, and carbon markets. In education and training cooperation, France always considers this a priority goal in its cooperation activities in Vietnam, focusing mainly on teaching and developing French, training human resources at university and postgraduate levels in many fields, such as economic management, banking, finance, law, new technology... The two sides have implemented a number of key projects in the field of training, such as: High-quality engineer training program in Vietnam, the project to establish two French University Centers at Hanoi National University and Ho Chi Minh City, the Francophone Institute of Informatics (IFI). French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that France hopes that more and more Vietnamese students will choose to study in France, these exchange activities will contribute significantly to strengthening relations between the two countries in the future. Cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange are always a bright spot and an important pillar in the relationship between Vietnam and France. Deeply aware of the importance of cultural diplomacy and the people of the two countries is the key factor contributing to deepening and deepening the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two sides, the Vietnamese Embassy in France has been implementing many diverse and rich cultural and people-to-people exchange activities to promote Vietnamese culture, sports and tourism to French and European friends, especially within the framework of activities to celebrate major events. In recent times, the Vietnamese Embassy in France has hosted many cultural and artistic activities such as: The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (April 12, 1973 - April 12, 2023), the 50th anniversary of the Paris Agreement (January 27, 1973 - January 27, 2023), the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (1954 - 2024) and the Geneva Agreement (July 21, 1954 - July 21, 2024), Vietnam Day in France, Vietnamese Cultural Day, Community Tet, activities honoring President Ho Chi Minh, following in Uncle Ho's footsteps... These activities have created deep resonance in the locality, contributing to strengthening the connection and friendship, enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, creating favorable conditions to promote bilateral cooperation in all sectors and fields. According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, the Vietnamese Government has identified the development of cultural and creative industries as one of the important goals to create momentum for growth, including economic growth. With its strengths in this field, the French Ambassador affirmed that this country is fully capable of assisting Vietnam in related projects.

(Photo: VNA)

Local cooperation is also a unique feature in the Vietnam-France relationship. France is the only country to date where Vietnam has elevated the meeting mechanism between localities to a Conference, which is held alternately in different localities of the two countries every 2-3 years and is considered a major event and activity in bilateral relations. Every year, the Embassy welcomes about 20-30 delegations of Vietnamese localities at all levels to work and visit French localities, and at the same time coordinates the organization of economic-cultural-tourism promotion activities to consolidate cooperation and enhance connectivity, serving the development goals of Vietnamese localities. The Vietnamese community in France currently has about 300,000 people, the largest Vietnamese community in Europe, making important contributions to deepening the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership in a practical manner. It can be affirmed that over the past 50 years, the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and France has become increasingly strong, deepened, and the cooperation has been comprehensive, rich, and effective in all fields. Based on the special "fateful" relationship of over 50 years and the results of the Strategic Partnership of over 10 years, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that through the visit to France by General Secretary and President To Lam, the leaders of the two sides will discuss measures to bring the strategic partnership to a new level, increasingly deepened, practical, commensurate with the potential and position of both countries in the region and the world; strengthen trade and investment cooperation; promote traditional cooperation areas such as culture, education, science and technology, and cooperation between localities; Expand cooperation in new, potential fields such as aerospace, renewable energy, high technology, digital economy... French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that the official visit to the French Republic by General Secretary and President To Lam is an opportunity for the two countries to continue their joint efforts to strengthen the bilateral partnership with new directions of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, as well as the international roles of the two countries to strengthen security. In the field of sustainable development, Vietnam and France can strengthen cooperation in energy and transport, especially railway transport. Cooperation activities in innovation and creativity are also very promising and practical for Vietnam because there are currently many French enterprises that can share experience and technology with Vietnamese partners, contributing to further strengthening the relationship between the two sides. French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that during this visit, Vietnam and France are expected to sign many cooperation agreements, including an intergovernmental agreement in the field of education. France hopes that this document will help France coordinate more closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training in enhancing French language training in Vietnamese schools, thereby improving the quality and quantity of French speakers in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, the official visit to the French Republic by General Secretary and President To Lam this time is an important milestone, creating a new framework and momentum to bring the Vietnam-France strategic partnership to a new height, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, as well as for peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world./.

President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the French-Vietnamese Institute in Hanoi (December 8, 2022). (Photo: Pham Kien/VNA)

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dua-quan-he-doi-tac-chien-luoc-viet-nam-phap-len-mot-tam-cao-moi-post980859.vnp