The agreement was reached during talks in Hanoi on July 8 between Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and Secretary General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Martin Briens.

Trung welcomed Briens' visit, reaffirming that Vietnam attaches great importance to strengthening relations with France, its first comprehensive strategic partner in the European Union.

He welcomed the positive progress achieved since the two countries elevated their ties, noting that the entry into force of the Action Plan implementing the Joint Declaration on the Vietnam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership marks an important milestone in translating shared strategic orientations into practical cooperation programmes and projects.

Trung proposed that both sides maintain regular high-level exchanges and contacts at all levels while making full use of the coordinating role of the two foreign ministries to effectively implement the new partnership framework. He also conveyed an invitation to French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot to visit Vietnam at an early date.

Strategic projects at the centre of cooperation

Discussing future priorities, Minister Le Hoai Trung proposed expanding cooperation in defence, security, energy and strategic infrastructure.

He highlighted the potential for bilateral cooperation on the Ninh Thuan 2 Nuclear Power Plant project as well as other large-scale infrastructure initiatives. He also expressed hope that France would soon ratify the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, adopted in Hanoi, and send a delegation to the East Sea Conference hosted by Vietnam.

Briens, for his part, reaffirmed France's commitment to translating bilateral priorities into tangible projects.

He said France is working closely with Vietnamese partners on civil nuclear energy and hopes French companies will participate in Vietnam's strategic infrastructure projects, including the North–South high-speed railway and the Hanoi–Hai Phong railway, while continuing efforts to resolve outstanding issues related to Hanoi's Metro Line 3 project.

Expanding cooperation in emerging sectors

On economic cooperation, Trung called for greater efforts to unlock the full potential of bilateral trade and investment.

He urged France to complete ratification of the EU–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), continue supporting efforts within the European Union to remove the IUU "yellow card" imposed on Vietnamese seafood exports, and assist Vietnam in being removed from the OECD list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.

Briens said the ratification process for EVIPA in France has made positive progress. He voiced France's readiness to support Vietnam on OECD-related matters and continue advocating within the European Union for the early removal of the IUU yellow card.

Both sides also agreed to expand cooperation into new growth areas, including critical minerals, science and technology, innovation and space technology.

Trung proposed the early implementation of the intergovernmental agreement on science, technology and innovation, accelerated progress on the VNREDSat-2 satellite project, and stronger cooperation in culture, health care, people-to-people exchanges and sub-national partnerships, with a view to successfully organising the 13th Vietnam–France Decentralised Cooperation Conference in 2026.

Briens noted that France possesses advanced expertise and technologies in rare earths and the space sector and expressed France's desire to deepen cooperation with Vietnam in these areas, alongside culture, health care and local-level cooperation.

Describing Vietnam as a trusted partner and a strategically important country for France in the Asia-Pacific, Briens said the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has created fresh momentum for cooperation.

The two sides agreed to strengthen coordination through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. They vowed to work closely together at regional and international forums to uphold multilateralism, promote dialogue, respect international law, and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and beyond.