General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore deeper sectoral cooperation to meet development needs in the new context.

Viet Nam and France need to make full use of their respective strengths, capitalise on their complementary advantages, elevate strategic areas of cooperation to a higher level, and establish new frameworks for bilateral cooperation, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam suggested.

The two leaders agreed to actively exchange all-level delegations, soon establish new cooperation mechanisms commensurate with the level of bilateral ties, and effectively implement the Viet Nam-France Action Plan for 2026-2028. They concurred to continue strengthening cooperation in defence and security, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and in preventing and combating organised transnational crime, among other areas.

Viet Nam attaches importance to its relations with France, one of its leading partners in Europe and on the international stage, and wishes to continue close coordination with France to deepen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner, matching the potential, strengths and development needs of both countries in the new period, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung affirmed at a meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on September 10.

Mutual trust, understanding and respect are distinctive advantages that can help Viet Nam and France further deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, according to Antoine Pouillieute, former French Ambassador to Viet Nam from 2001 to 2004.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam’s official visit to France and his attendance at the International Space Summit in Paris from September 10-12 are expected to further tap the vast potential of the Viet Nam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Viet Nam and France agreed on the need for closer cooperation to ensure global food and energy security, while coordinating effectively at regional and multilateral forums.

Vietnamese culture left a strong impression at France’s largest Lunar New Year parade, held on March 1 in Paris’ 13th arrondissement, drawing hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors.

The 34th Festival Changé d’Air, themed “Viet Nam – Culture, Art, Cuisine, Music and Life”, opened at Le Rabelais Cultural Centre in Changé city, Sarthe department of France, on November 6.

France remains a major partner in Viet Nam’s foreign policy, with bilateral cooperation producing substantive and positive results, affirmed Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Quoc Phuong at the annual Viet Nam–France High-Level Economic Dialogue in Ha Noi on November 6.

The second Viet Nam-France International Acupuncture Conference took place in Sauset-les-Pins, a town near Marseille in southeastern France on September 16, affirming the strong cooperation between the two nations in health care, education, and scientific research.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang presented the A-prize certificate of the literary, art and press awards on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle to French-Romanian artist Georg Esco, on June 18, for his oil painting “Following the Footsteps of President Ho Chi Minh”.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and members of the Vietnamese community in France on the evening of June 10 as part of the PM's trip to France for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and bilateral activities.