Top Vietnamese Leader Meets French President Macron in Paris, Deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

General Secretary and President To Lam of Vietnam and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks in Paris on September 10. To Lam reiterated that Vietnam attaches importance to its relations with France, stating that the Southeast Asian nation choosing France as the first European Union (EU) member state to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership is a testament to the high level of political trust and determination to elevate bilateral ties to a new height. Lam suggested France increase assistance for Vietnam in addressing the consequences of war, particularly in the search for missing military personnel and the exchange of wartime memorabilia. He underlined the need for effective implementation of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and urged France to complete the ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at an early date to create new momentum for investors. He called on the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the "yellow card" imposed on Vietnam, thereby helping the nation to develop its sustainable fisheries sector. The Vietnamese leader also proposed expanding scientific research cooperation, including space science, and accelerating technology transfer and the development of technological capabilities. He also sought France's assistance in gradually developing quantum technology. To promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he urged France to simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens. In the cultural heritage sector, he sought France's assistance in researching, restoring, preserving, and promoting the value of Vietnam's heritage and historic buildings, including Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi and historic French villas. He also stressed the expansion of cooperation in developing high-quality human resources in fields such as semiconductors, new energy, and railways. He highly valued the role of the Pasteur Institutes in Vietnam and called for elevating their cooperation with a view to making Vietnam a leading regional hub for the application of advanced medical technologies in Southeast Asia. Macron, for his part, underscored the long-standing traditional ties between the two peoples and affirmed France's readiness to accompany Vietnam in its new era of development. He expressed hope for the early launch of major and new projects in strategic science and technology fields. He also mentioned France's support for the construction of the Museum of the Communist Party of Vietnam, continued assistance in developing Vietnam's cultural industries, and the provision of additional materials on President Ho Chi Minh. The two leaders pledged to maintain regular contacts at all levels through all channels, including the Party, Government, National Assembly, and people-to-people exchanges. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in military medicine training, as well as coordinate efforts to combat crime and share information, particularly on organized and transnational crime. In economic, trade, and investment cooperation, they vowed to pursue new, strategic, and long-term areas of cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, focusing on the development of highly strategic industries and services with strong spillover effects. In particular, they stressed the need to promote value-chain linkages following the model of French technology–Vietnamese production–regional and global supply, enabling the two countries' key products, including processed and manufactured goods as well as agricultural and food products, to participate more deeply in global supply chains. Breakthrough cooperation will focus on strategic areas such as aerospace, critical minerals, quantum technology, clean energy, and research for sustainable development and climate change response. They vowed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly at the United Nations and within the ASEAN-EU framework. On maritime issues, the two sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded trade, and the right of innocent passage in the East Sea and around the world. They also highlighted the significance of resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).