Vietnamese leaders have rightly said that both nations have a common history, with ups and downs and challenges, implying that France and Vietnam deeply understand each other not only in terms of politicians relationship but also between the peoples of the two nations.
Even before the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the connections between the French and Vietnamese people have been already existing and promoting. It is believed that both Vietnam and France share a common perspective on the past and aspects of history, thereby drawing lessons and looking together toward the future.
In May, 2024, Mr. Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of the Armed Forces paid a visit to Vietnam and attended the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory which was a testament to the statement above mentioned.
The visit showed that the two countries are jointly looking back at a shared history, even during its most difficult moments of overcoming barriers in the past to cooperate and head toward a better future.
It did not happen by chance as France was the first foreign country to come and partner with Vietnam in the early 1990s when Vietnam was just beginning its reforms. At that time, France invested in numeorous projects in Vietnam.
Nowadays, as Vietnam enters into a new era, France looks forward to continuing to stand side by side with the Southeast Asian nation. That is also a mutual desire from the Vietnamese side that was strongly demonstrated by the recent visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam to France in October 2024.
General Secretary To Lam met and debated with French President Emmanuel Macron. During this visit, the two countries lifted their bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
For the French side, it is also a commitment to take concrete actions based on the spirit of this newly established relationship. With this spirit of trust, France hoped that the two nations would continue to align with viewpoints of both sides and work together to meet all of Vietnam’s new development needs during this period on aspects of politics, security, defense, education, training, science and technology, healthcare and so on.
Answering the question of “Why France wants to deepen cooperation with Vietnam in the future”, Mr. Olivier Brochet shared that the French side has always respected Vietnam as an independent country. Besides, Vietnam has always asserted its sovereignty and has an increasingly strong and valuable voice on the international stage.
Therefore, France affirmed its support and readiness to accompany Vietnam in maintaining its independence and sovereignty within the context of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Besides, in the current global context with challenges to peace and stability, the country desires to work with Vietnam to contribute to maintaining global and regional peace and stability, especially within ASEAN and to partner with Vietnam in addressing global challenges, including upholding and helping to ensure Vietnam's sovereignty.
Within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between France and Vietnam, two major projects in fileds of environment will be launched in the upcoming time. The projects are crucial for Vietnam, helping it fulfill its CO2 reduction commitments. The success of the two countries in cooperation projects demonstrates the value and meaning of this relationship.
Related to Vietnam’s development in the new era, France is eager with strengthening traditional cooperation sectors between the two countries such as healthcare, agriculture and food, enhancing cooperation across training, research and investment in addition to new sectors and projects that Vietnam has recently proposed comprising of energy, particularly Vietnam’s plan to develop nuclear power plants along with the North-South high-speed railway project.
France is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in the emerging areas mentioned above, based on a trustworthy relationship between the two countries and an advanced technological foundation from the partner.
