Vietnam and France Sign Cooperation Agreements in Key Sectors

Vietnamese President To Lam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on September 10 (local time), 2026, witnessing the exchange of cooperation documents across multiple sectors that further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations. The signed documents include a cooperation agreement in the healthcare sector between the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the French Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities. A joint statement on cooperation and capacity building in the field of civil security was also exchanged between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the French Ministry of the Interior. In the realm of space technology, the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty signed a Letter of Intent on the provision of Earth observation satellites. Furthermore, a Letter of Intent on cooperation in the field of critical minerals was concluded between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty. For infrastructure development, a loan agreement for the integrated water resources management project, aimed at supporting people's livelihoods, climate change adaptation, and socio-economic development in the northern Dien Bien province, was signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance and the French Development Agency (AFD). A Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the railway technology school under Viet Nam's University of Transport Technology was also exchanged. In the aviation sector, Viet Nam Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus on the purchase of A350-900 aircraft. Vietravel Airlines also entered into a Letter of Intent with Airbus for the purchase of 20 A220 and 30 A321neo aircraft. Vietjet Air finalized a contract with Airbus for maintenance, repair, and technical support services for its A320 and A330 aircraft. Additionally, an agreement on cooperation in United Nations peacekeeping operations was signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces Ministry of France. These agreements underscore the deepening cooperation across a broad spectrum of engagement between Vietnam and France.