The visit marks a significant diplomatic milestone, reaffirming Viet Nam’s highest-level commitment to the development of the Francophonie, its bonds of solidarity and friendship with fellow member states, and its wholehearted support for Cambodia’s efforts to host this major and important event.
The 20th Francophonie Summit marks the meeting’s first time being held in the Asia-Pacific region in nearly 30 years, following the successful 7th Summit in Ha Noi, which established important milestones in the development of the Francophonie. As the most important event of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), this year’s summit is expected to bring together a large number of heads of state and government from member countries. Under the theme “Investing in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Stability,” the summit will provide a forum for discussion and the identification of cooperation priorities in areas including peace, sustainable development, the promotion of multilateralism, the economy, education, language and culture, digital transformation, and responses to global challenges.
As an open political, economic and cultural community, the Francophonie is not only committed to preserving and promoting the French language and fostering cultural exchange but is also expanding cooperation into the fields of politics, diplomacy, education, the economy, and science and technology, among others. The OIF highly values Viet Nam’s role, regarding the country as one of its core members and a key pillar in the Asia-Pacific region.
Over the past 30 years, the OIF and Francophone countries have undertaken numerous initiatives to support Viet Nam in education and French-language training, scientific research, digital transformation, and capacity-building in higher education. These efforts have helped maintain an educational ecosystem and a pool of French-speaking human resources in Viet Nam. In nearly 50 years of membership in the Francophonie, Viet Nam has consistently demonstrated an active, proactive, and responsible role, made substantive contributions, and promoted the voices and interests of developing countries.
Economic, trade, and agricultural cooperation is emerging as one of the areas with the greatest potential for growth in Viet Nam’s relations with Francophone countries. In recent years, Viet Nam has stepped up cooperation with African countries within the OIF framework. Cultural cooperation has traditionally been a cornerstone of the Francophonie. Viet Nam regularly works with the OIF, diplomatic missions, and Francophone partners to organise activities promoting the French language, cinema, and culture, as well as people-to-people exchanges. These initiatives help maintain the Francophonie’s presence in Viet Nam and strengthen mutual understanding among its members.
As an active member of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF), Viet Nam has hosted numerous major APF events, including the Francophone Parliamentary Forum on Cooperation in Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Responses to Climate Change in Can Tho in January 2025. Cooperation on gender equality and women’s empowerment is a relatively new area but has already delivered tangible results, helping create employment opportunities, strengthen women’s digital skills, and improve their integration into the labour market.
The participation of General Secretary and State President To Lam in this Francophonie Summit reaffirms Viet Nam’s consistent commitment to the Francophonie, as well as its high regard for and support of Cambodia in its capacity as host of the 20th Francophonie Summit. It also reflects Viet Nam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and proactive and active international integration. The summit provides an important opportunity to convey to heads of state and government of Francophone countries and leaders of international organisations key messages on Viet Nam’s major policy orientations, foreign policy, international integration, and development vision for the new era.
Viet Nam stands ready to share its experience in national renewal and development, and to make active, substantive, and effective contributions to the Francophonie’s collective efforts. Meetings and exchanges between Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders will continue to help strengthen political trust, close ties and coordination between the two parties, the two countries, and their senior leaders, while promoting the development of Viet Nam-Cambodia relations as a good-neighbourly relationship founded on traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability.
With its geographical, cultural, and developmental diversity, and its shared values of peace, solidarity, and dialogue, the Francophonie has a solid foundation and considerable advantages for strengthening connectivity and expanding cooperation. Viet Nam stands ready to work alongside other members to build a united, dynamic, and people-centred Francophonie, where diversity becomes a strength for cooperation and development. It is hoped that this summit will provide fresh impetus for renewal, identify practical cooperation priorities and mobilise the resources and potential of the Francophone community, thereby contributing to peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
