Vietnam Takes Practical Steps to Boost Relations with France

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A partnership with favorable conditions

Starting October 6, General Secretary, President To Lam and the Vietnamese high-level delegation paid an official visit to the French Republic at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: VNA).

This is General Secretary, President To Lam’s first official visit to the French Republic in 22 years. Together with President of France Emmanuel Macron, To Lam had meetings with French leaders to exchange and agree on directions and measures to bring the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership into practical depth.

After more than 51 years of establishing diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level (April 12, 1973) and 11 years of establishing the Strategic Partnership (2013), Vietnam-France relations are developing positively. Vietnam has always attached great importance to cooperation with France, considered France an important partner in foreign policy and constantly deepened the traditional friendship, trust and strategic partnership between the two countries.

Economic and trade cooperation is an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries. France is currently the 4th largest trading partner, the 2nd largest investor and the top ODA aid to Vietnam in the European Union (EU). Bilateral trade turnover increased by 42% in the past 10 years, reaching 5.33 billion USD in 2022; 4.8 billion USD in 2023; In the first 7 months of 2024, it reached 2.96 billion USD.

The two countries are currently cooperating and effectively taking advantage of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), helping Vietnamese goods strengthen their position in the European market, while opening the door for Vietnamese goods to enter the French market.

The two countries have many favorable conditions to strengthen relations. France is a country with a high political position and prestige in the world, a developed economy, and a leading role in Europe. Meanwhile, Vietnam is a fast-growing, dynamic economy in terms of foreign affairs and integration, and plays an important role in ASEAN.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that during the visit to France of General Secretary and President To Lam, the leaders of the two countries jointly exchanged measures to bring the strategic partnership to a new level, increasingly in-depth and practical.

Strengthening people-to-people exchanges

Within the framework of the official visit to France, at noon 6-10 local time, General Secretary and President To Lam and a high-level Vietnamese delegation went to Sainte-Adresse City to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Commemorative Sea of President Ho Chi Minh - a hero of national liberation and an outstanding cultural celebrity of Vietnam.

To mark President Ho Chi Minh's journey in France, the Sainte-Adresse city government has decided to place a memorial sign in the city's Masquelier campus, in front of the house where Ho Chi Minh once lived, which is now used as a place to organize the city's community activities. The commemorative plaque is engraved with the inscription in French and Vietnamese with the content: "From 1911-1912, President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked in Sainte-Adresse City on the Masquelier campus on a long journey for the future of Vietnam".

Speaking at the ceremony, General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the decision of the Sainte-Adresse government to consider the Memorial Sea as an inseparable part of the city's heritage; thanked the French people and loyal friends of Vietnam for always striving to preserve historical places that recorded the imprint of President Ho Chi Minh on the journey to find a way to save the country.

To Lam believes that the Vietnam-France relations have been increasingly strengthened and developed despite the ups and downs of history. With the existing connections, Sainte-Adresse can have more exchanges and cooperation with Vietnamese cities, contributing to strengthening multifaceted cooperation at all levels, strengthening people-to-people exchanges and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

On the morning of October 6 (local time), General Secretary, President To Lam and a high-level delegation of Vietnam came to lay flowers in memory of President Ho Chi Minh at Montreau Park, Montreuil City. At the ceremony, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always considers France as a leading European partner. The selection of France to make the first visit to Europe as General Secretary and President of Vietnam this time shows the strong determination of our Party and State to further strengthen the multifaceted cooperation with France.

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