Hanoi (TDI): This is the second time Vietnam is in headlines as French President Macron visits the Southeast Asian country as a first stop on his week-long regional tour. Next up, Macron is heading to Indonesia and Singapore.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Vietnam from where he headed further to Malaysia and Cambodia. While Southeast Asian region is effortlessly China’s backyard, France’s entry into the region certainly begs questions.
Emmanuel Macron’s Vietnam visit is the first by a French president in nearly a decade, which means Vietnam has taken on as a country of interest for France – the former colonizer of Vietnam.
But bilateral relations between the two countries were not suspended in any way. Vietnam is EU’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asian region. Moreover, France and Vietnam entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; the former becoming the first European country to have this relationship with Vietnam.
En matière d’aéronautique avec de nouvelles commandes d’avions, d’énergies décarbonées comme le nucléaire civil, de santé, de transports, de satellites, de technologies et bien d’autres : le Vietnam va de l’avant et fait le choix de la France ! Un partenaire et grand ami !
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 26, 2025
Undoubtedly, since Trump adopted a stricter approach toward Europe following tariffs announcement, the region is looking to diversify its outreach and markets.
In Hanoi, Macron signed around 30 deals, encompassing cooperation on energy, Earth-observation satellites, vaccines and railways.
A significant Airbus deal has also been concluded with VietJet, for 20 A330neo aircraft, worth estimated €7 billion. Airbus is a leading European aerospace corporation.
Far less details are known about defense deals but reports have suggested that defense was very much on the agenda, and even Macron himself mentioned it during the press conference. He said that the partnership with Vietnam “entails a reinforced defense cooperation,” noting that both countries have signed multiple projects on defense.
Read More: Vietnam Celebrates 50 Years of Reunification With Grand Parade
As Macron met the Vietnam’s top leader To Lam, he said, “With France, you have a familiar, safe, and reliable friend (…) and in the period we are living in, this alone has great value.”
“It is truly a new page being written between our two countries … a desire to write an even more ambitious page of the relationship between Vietnam and France, between ASEAN and the European Union,” Macron added.
At his next stop, Macron is expected to join a meeting between Indonesian President and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. In Singapore, he will deliver a keynote at the Shangri La Dialogue, becoming the first European Leader to address the Dialogue.
Nuzhat Rana is the Managing Editor (website) at The Diplomatic Insight.
