Strengthening the Vietnam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang
WVR - According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, French President Emmanuel Macron’s choice of Vietnam as the first destination of his regional tour clearly demonstrates the strategic priority and profound importance that France attaches to the bilateral relationship with the country.
Latest
 |
| French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed and held talks with General Secretary and President To Lam, October 2024. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
Ahead of the State visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse at the invitation of President Luong Cuong, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang had an interview with The World and Vietnam Report, highlighting the significance and expectations of the French leader's visit.
How do you assess the significance of President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Vietnam, especially when the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year?
The upcoming visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron is an event of special significance for bilateral relations, especially after the two countries upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The visit demonstrates the French leadership's strong commitment to strengthening and developing relations with Vietnam, bringing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into reality and effectiveness. This is a great opportunity for the leaders of the two countries to agree on new steps to concretize the frameworks set out in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Many specific areas and projects are being discussed in depth by the two sides to promote economic-trade-investment priorities, enhance defense-security cooperation, innovation, science and technology, education and training, and health.
The signing of new cooperation agreements during the visit will create an important driving force and legal basis for cooperation activities between the two countries in the coming years.
The visit is also an opportunity to strengthen political trust at the highest level between the two sides, sending a strong message about the determination of Vietnam and France in cooperating for peace, stability and development in the region and the world. The visit is also expected to contribute to promoting people-to-people exchanges, enhancing cultural exchanges and traditional friendship between the countries.
What are the highlights of the French leader's upcoming visit? What are your expectations for this important milestone?
The upcoming visit of the French President to Vietnam is expected to bring many important highlights. Most notably, the two sides will adopt documents to concretize the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, particularly by expanding cooperation into new areas such as innovation, energy, and defense. These documents will not only translate high-level commitments into action but also outline a roadmap for broad and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the coming period.
The French President’s decision to choose Vietnam as the first stop in his regional tour clearly demonstrates the strategic priority and deep importance that France places on its bilateral relationship with Vietnam.
Vietnam’s status as the first and only ASEAN partner to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with France has been further reinforced. At the same time, this visit marks an important step in the implementation of France’s Indo-Pacific strategy, underscoring Vietnam’s pivotal role in France’s regional foreign policy.
I hope that, on the basis of the adopted documents and action plans, this visit will open up opportunities for more substantive and effective cooperation in our identified priority areas, including defense, security, energy, and transportation.
France is the first country in the European Union (EU) to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. Could you share some highlights of the Vietnam-France relationship in recent times?
The Vietnam-France relationship was officially upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024, marking a major milestone after more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations and 10 years of Strategic Partnership. This upgrade has created an important foundation for promoting the relationship between the two countries to continue to develop strongly, deeply and effectively.
In terms of politics and diplomacy, exchanges between the two countries have increased and become closer, cooperation mechanisms have been expanded, such as the organization of the first Maritime Dialogue between the two Foreign Ministries.
The upcoming visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron is an important continuation of the visit to France and attendance at the 19th Francophone Summit by General Secretary and President To Lam. In the context of many changes in the world, the two countries have been further strengthening coordination and cooperation on global issues, such as at the Artificial Intelligence Summit in Paris (February 2025), the P4G Conference (April 2025) and the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice (June 2025).
In terms of defense and security, this continues to be considered an important pillar in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, demonstrating the strategic trust between the two countries. The recent visit to Ho Chi Minh City by the multi-mission frigate Provence of the French Aircraft Carrier Task Group to the region (March 2025) demonstrates the continuation of exchanges between the two countries in the spirit of working together to contribute to peace and ensure security and freedom of navigation in the region, in accordance with international law.
In terms of economic-trade-development cooperation, it is possible to note the increased interest from French partners and businesses in cooperation with Vietnam. The French Development Agency (AFD) is promoting many new projects with Vietnam, including projects related to clean energy development and ensuring energy security for Vietnam.
Many delegations of French businesses and economic ministries, including the French Minister of Transport, have come to Vietnam to discuss and explore cooperation possibilities in Vietnam's leading strategies and projects on energy, infrastructure and transportation. Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries in 2024 recorded an impressive growth of 11%, reaching more than 5.4 billion USD.
Medical cooperation has increasingly affirmed its important role and become a bright spot in Vietnam-France relations with the promotion of cooperation in the production of a number of vaccines in Vietnam between the VNVC Vaccination Center and the Sanofi Group, which was carried out immediately after the two countries officially upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Cooperation between localities also continues to have new connections. In February 2025, Da Nang city and Le Havre city officially signed an agreement to promote cooperation in areas such as seaport development, ecological transition, and digital innovation. Vietnam and France are also promoting preparations for the 13th Conference on Cooperation between Localities, scheduled to be held in 2026 in France.
 |
| Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang. (Source: Nhan Dan) |
According to you, what should the two countries do to develop the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership more strongly in the coming time?
It can be seen that the Vietnam-France relationship is being placed in an international environment dominated by diverse and intertwined challenges, requiring both countries to make persistent efforts to orient and pursue the identified areas of cooperation. Both countries are also facing new requirements for development as well as position, so it is necessary to constantly innovate and improve the quality of cooperation, to make efforts to build appropriate and effective projects and programs, and to make the most of the priority position of the established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
To overcome these challenges, I believe that there needs to be concerted efforts from both sides. First, to enhance dialogue and mutual understanding. The two sides need to promote delegation exchanges at all levels, effectively maintain bilateral dialogue channels in many areas such as diplomacy, defense, security, economy, science and technology, etc. This will help promptly resolve difficulties, strengthen political trust and better understand each country's priorities within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Second, to focus on potential, complementary and strategic areas of cooperation.
We should prioritize cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and needs, especially pillar areas or areas with high growth potential such as high technology, clean energy and nuclear energy, digital transformation, healthcare, education and strategic infrastructure.
Third, make good use of various policy supports, from the impact of improving the investment and business environment and removing common bottlenecks in Vietnam today to France demonstrating its position to support Vietnam in accessing international financial and technological resources necessary for development.
Fourth, continue to mobilize the role of all components in the multi-level relationship of Vietnam-France relations, in which there is not only the responsibility of ministries and sectors but also the enthusiasm of the business communities of the two countries, industry associations, the Vietnamese community and friends, and different levels of government in France.
Honoured to be awarded the Medal “For the cause of culture, sports and tourism” last year, could you share about the role of diplomats, cultural ambassadors, in promoting cultural activities abroad, spreading the soft power of the nation across five continents?
Being awarded the Medal “For the cause of culture, sports and tourism” last year was a great honour for me. This medal is also a general appreciation for the Vietnamese Embassy in France, including the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France, for their continuous efforts in implementing activities to promote the image of Vietnam in all aspects.
I believe that culture is an extremely effective foreign relations channel, a means to build bridges of friendship and enhance mutual understanding between countries. Diplomats, as pioneers, have the responsibility to bring the best cultural values of the nation to international friends, contributing to enriching the world's diverse cultural picture and enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena.
Multimedia
Infographics Photos Videos E magazine
