Vietnam, France Agree to Deepen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
Paris, The Gulf Observer: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed on new directions to deepen and enhance the effectiveness of the Vietnam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The agreement was reached during talks in Paris on Thursday, where the two leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral relations and discussed priorities for strengthening cooperation across a broad range of areas.
President Macron congratulated Vietnam on its significant socio-economic achievements in recent years and highlighted the country’s growing role and standing in the region and internationally. He also reaffirmed France’s readiness to support Vietnam in its new phase of development.
Macron said President Tô Lâm’s visit provided an important opportunity for the two countries’ senior leaders to exchange views and establish new directions for further advancing their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
President Tô Lâm congratulated France on its achievements and underlined Paris’s important role and position on the international stage. He noted that Vietnam’s decision to make France the first European Union member state with which it established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reflected the high level of political trust between the two countries and their shared determination to elevate bilateral relations.
The two leaders welcomed substantial progress in bilateral ties nearly two years after the relationship was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
They agreed to maintain regular exchanges at all levels and through various channels, including between the Communist Party, governments, national legislatures and peoples of the two countries. They also agreed to make more effective use of existing cooperation mechanisms and explore expanded sectoral cooperation in response to emerging development needs.
Strengthening defence and security cooperation
In defence and security, Vietnam and France agreed to expand cooperation in military medicine training, intensify efforts to combat crime and strengthen information sharing on criminal activities, particularly organised and transnational crime.
Vietnam also called on France to continue supporting efforts to address the consequences of war, including the search for missing military personnel and exchanges of wartime memorabilia.
Expanding economic and trade cooperation
The two leaders agreed to pursue new, strategic and long-term areas of economic, trade and investment cooperation, particularly in strategic industries and services with broad economic spillover effects.
They highlighted the potential of value-chain partnerships based on the model of “French technology – Vietnamese manufacturing – regional and global supply,” with the aim of integrating Vietnamese processed and manufactured products, as well as agricultural and food products, more deeply into global supply chains.
France welcomed the signing of several cooperation documents during President Tô Lâm’s visit covering areas of mutual importance.
President Tô Lâm called for the continued effective implementation of the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and urged France to complete the ratification of the EU–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at an early date.
He also called on France to encourage the European Commission to remove the “yellow card” imposed over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, supporting Vietnam’s efforts to develop its fisheries sector sustainably.
Science and technology identified as key pillar
The two sides agreed to make science and technology cooperation a new and important pillar of bilateral relations, drawing on France’s position as a leading scientific power in Europe.
Priority areas will include aerospace, critical minerals, quantum technology, clean energy, sustainable development and climate change research.
President Tô Lâm called for expanded scientific research, including space science, greater technology transfer and stronger efforts to develop Vietnam’s capacity to master advanced technologies. He also urged France to support Vietnam in gradually developing its quantum technology capabilities.
President Macron expressed hope that the two countries would soon launch major new projects in strategic science and technology sectors.
Cultural and people-to-people ties
The two leaders agreed to strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges through cultural weeks and days in both countries. The Vietnam Days in France programme scheduled for October 2026 was identified as an immediate priority.
President Tô Lâm also suggested that France simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens to promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
France expressed readiness to support Vietnam in developing the Museum of the Communist Party of Vietnam. President Macron further reaffirmed France’s support for Vietnam’s cultural industries and said France would provide additional archival materials relating to President Hồ Chí Minh.
France will also continue cooperation with Vietnam in healthcare and education and training.
President Tô Lâm expressed appreciation for France’s return of a Đông Sơn bronze drum to Vietnam as part of bilateral efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property. He also thanked France for donating artefacts to the Museum of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
He welcomed the activities of the French Institute in Vietnam and France’s cooperation in organising Vietnamese cultural events in Paris in October 2026.
The Vietnamese leader called for further French support in researching, restoring, preserving and promoting Vietnam’s cultural heritage and historic structures, including Long Biên Bridge in Hanoi and old French villas, with the participation of French architects.
Education and healthcare cooperation
Vietnam and France agreed to implement existing education and training agreements more effectively, particularly those related to French-language education in Vietnam.
President Tô Lâm called for expanded cooperation in developing high-quality human resources in strategically important sectors, including semiconductors, new energy and railways.
In healthcare, he highlighted the important role of the Pasteur Institutes in Vietnam and called for stronger cooperation aimed at positioning Vietnam as a leading Southeast Asian hub for the application of modern medical technologies. He also called for the continued provision of scholarships for Vietnamese medical students.
President Tô Lâm further proposed that France continue supporting the integration and development of the Vietnamese community in France and establish mechanisms to harness the expertise of Vietnamese professionals, intellectuals and scientists for the benefit of both countries.
Coordination on regional and international issues
The two leaders agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations and within the ASEAN–EU framework.
President Macron welcomed President Tô Lâm’s views expressed at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue concerning the importance of upholding international law and promoting multilateralism.
On maritime issues, Vietnam and France reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as ensuring unimpeded trade and the right of innocent passage in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, and elsewhere.
They stressed that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
During the visit, President Tô Lâm and President Macron witnessed the signing and exchange of a number of important cooperation documents between ministries and agencies of Vietnam and France covering security, healthcare, aerospace, science and technology, and critical minerals.
