Following his state visit to the Russian Federation, General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse and a high-level Vietnamese delegation are continuing their official visit to France and attending the 2026 International Space Summit in Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Building on a strong foundation of partnership

This is General Secretary and President To Lam’s second official visit to France and the second time a Vietnamese Party and State leader has attended an international event hosted by France. His participation in the International Space Summit demonstrates Vietnam’s active support for the French initiative and creates a platform for stronger cooperation in outer space, contributing to the country’s strategic science and technology development.

Vietnam and France have a long history of relations and extensive cooperation across a wide range of fields. The two countries established a Strategic Partnership in 2013, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations, providing new momentum for increasingly substantive and effective cooperation.

A major milestone came during General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to France in October 2024, when the two sides issued a joint statement on upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. France thus became the first European Union member state to establish this highest-level partnership with Vietnam.

Building on this political foundation, the two countries have maintained regular exchanges and cooperation mechanisms across multiple areas.

France is currently Vietnam’s fourth largest European trading partner. Two-way trade reached US$6.3 billion in 2025, up 16.4% from the previous year.

Defence cooperation has also developed through regular exchanges and established mechanisms. The two countries have held an annual strategic dialogue and defence cooperation dialogue on a rotating basis. In 2018, they signed an amended agreement on defence cooperation and a Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation for 2018-2028.

Opening new fronts for science, technology and space cooperation

Alongside established areas of collaboration, the visit comes at a time when both countries are looking to broaden cooperation in fields aligned with Vietnam’s development priorities and France’s strengths.

Potential areas include energy, strategic infrastructure, urban transport, aerospace and climate change response, alongside stronger collaboration in science and technology, digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

A key highlight of the visit is General Secretary and President To Lam’s participation in the International Space Summit in Paris. Initiated by President Emmanuel Macron, the summit seeks to promote dialogue and shape international cooperation in outer space, including the development of norms, rules and governance frameworks for the sector.

The summit is more than a specialised multilateral event; it also carries strategic significance as a new arena for development and competition, reflecting France’s long-term vision for advancing international cooperation in space, satellite technology, security and technological sovereignty.

The participation of the Vietnamese Party and State leadership at the summit contributes to implementing, at the highest level, the Party’s major orientations on foreign policy, international integration, and the development of science, technology and innovation, as set out in Politburo Resolutions No. 57/NQ-TW and No. 59/NQ-TW, as well as the national master plan for the effective exploitation and use of outer space. It also enables Vietnam to contribute to shaping international cooperation frameworks on outer space, broaden engagement and promote substantive cooperation with partners in the field.

Broadening people-to-people and local connections

The partnership extends beyond central-level engagement, with a broad network of cooperation in culture, education and training, healthcare, justice, science and technology, and local-level exchanges.

Cultural centres in both countries, cultural exchange programmes, tourism activities, the work of Pasteur institutes in Vietnam, French-language education and training programmes, and student exchanges continue to foster close connections between the two peoples. Around 7,000 Vietnamese students are currently studying in France.

Local cooperation is another distinctive feature of the relationship, with the two countries maintaining a regular nationwide mechanism for local cooperation.

The Vietnamese community in France, numbering around 350,000 people, including more than 50,000 intellectuals and thousands of entrepreneurs, also serves as an important bridge between the two countries. The community has largely maintained stable lives, studies and businesses, preserved Vietnamese cultural traditions and contributed to stronger bilateral relations.

Against this backdrop, General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to France is expected to provide fresh momentum for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, translating the strong political foundation between the two countries into more concrete and effective cooperation across both traditional and emerging areas.