Upgrading Vietnam-France Relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”

Given bilateral cooperation achievements since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, based on similar interests and shared common vision on compliance with the United Nations Charter, Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to elevate Vietnam-France relations to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the former’s official visit to France from October 6-7, 2024.

Vietnam’s General Secretary and President To Lam (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron at a press briefing before their talks in Paris

After concluding his activities at the 19th Francophone Summit, General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation paid an official visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.

During his official visit to France, Lam attended the official welcoming ceremony and met with the media. He held discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, met with the President of the French Senate, and received the National Secretary of the French Communist Party as well as representatives from the France-Vietnam Friendship Association. He visited UNESCO headquarters for a meeting with its Director General. Lam also led a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to Montreuil City, where they laid flowers in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and attended the inauguration of a commemorative plaque honoring President Ho Chi Minh. He met with the Mayor of Le Havre City.

The leaders of the two countries agreed to declare the elevation of relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed on major directions and measures to make the deeper and more practical framework of the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with the cooperation framework of the two countries in the new context.

In the joint statement, the two countries pledged to bolster bilateral ties on the back of mutual respect for international law, equality, sovereignty, independence, and each other’s territorial integrity and political systems.

The two sides reaffirmed their shared determination to boost economic, trade and investment cooperation - the pillars of the bilateral relationship. They reiterated the significance of fully implementing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement, including market access and intellectual property protection. On investment, the two sides will continue to promote their projects in each country towards a transparent, stable and predictable business environment. The two sides underlined the importance of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Vietnam hoped that France would soon ratify the EVIPA.

Both sides expressed their desire to develop and deepen strategic cooperation in innovation and new technologies, especially through exchanges on public policies and training activities.

Vietnam hoped to bolster cooperation with France and French companies in infrastructure, urban and rail transport, renewable energy, energy transition, non-carbon hydrogen, digital economy, circular economy, logistics and port infrastructure, civil aviation and submarine cable fields. The two sides agreed to strengthen collaboration in training and research on the application of civil nuclear technology. They also pledged to expand cooperation in satellite fields and essential mineral fields.

At the joint press conference before his talks with General Secretary and President To Lam, President Macron affirmed that France hoped to reinforce cooperation with Vietnam, especially in business cooperation. The French Government is ready to facilitate and welcome Vietnamese companies to invest in France and help them implement their projects effectively. In addition to economic cooperation, looking to the future, France attaches great importance to cooperation in education, health care and research on teaching and training, as well as cooperation in preservation, development and enhancement of cultural values.

General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron witness the signing of several cooperation agreements between Vietnam and France 

General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that after more than half a century of official diplomatic relations and a decade of the strategic partnership, the Vietnam-France relationship has strongly developed in all aspects. France always holds an important position in Vietnam's foreign policy and has a role and position in the Francophone community and in the world. Given the extensive development of the Vietnam-France relationship as well as the current new international and regional context, more than ever, this relationship needs to be upgraded to a new level. Through this process, France becomes the first country in the European Union to have a new, comprehensive relationship with Vietnam.

France has always been one of Vietnam's leading economic partners in Europe and the EU, with diverse and long-term economic cooperation ties. France is currently Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner in the EU with a total bilateral trade value of US$4.8 billion in 2023, up to 1.5 times higher than that in 2013, when the two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership.

In 2019, the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was officially signed, leveraging exporting and importing activities of Vietnamese companies to France. Many top Vietnamese exports such as textiles and garments, footwear, agricultural and aquatic products made inroads into France following this trade pact.

France is also one of the EU's major investors in Vietnam. As of December 31, 2023, France had 678 direct investment projects with a total registered capital of US$3.8 billion. France also has more than 300 companies, including 170 subsidiaries of French corporations in Vietnam.

During the visit, the two sides signed a number of cooperation agreements, including the Education Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of France and between the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and the Ministry of National Education of France; and contract for the supply of engines and engine maintenance services for 200 narrow-body aircraft between VietjetAir and the Safran Group and CFM International.

The France working trip by General Secretary and President To Lam together with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation has contributed to firmly reinforcing the foundations in Vietnam's relations with France and the Francophone community while helping explore new potential areas of mutual cooperation, thus deepening more practical, effective relations with other countries in the new context.

By Anh Mai, Vietnam Business Forum