French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse Brigitte Macron waved goodbye as they departed from Hà Nội on May 27 afternoon for Indonesia and Singapore, the two next stops in their Southeast Asia tour.

HÀ NỘI — French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse departed Hà Nội on Tuesday afternoon, concluding their state visit to Việt Nam from May 25 to 27, made at the invitation of Vietnamese President Lương Cường.

During the visit, President Macron and his spouse, Brigitte Macron, laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh at his mausoleum, and also paid homage to war heroes and martyrs at the monument on Bắc Son street in Hà Nội.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and President Macron visited the Hồ Chí Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace and jointly planted a friendship tree at the site.

The Vietnamese Party leader and the French President, together with their spouses, visited the Temple of Literature. There, they viewed a photo exhibition highlighting key milestones in bilateral relations, organised by the Vietnam News Agency; toured the historical relic site; and enjoyed a performance of Nhã nhạc (Royal Court Music of Huế) by artists from the Huế Royal Traditional Arts Theatre.

General Secretary Lâm hosted a reception for President Macron. President Lương Cường chaired the official welcome ceremony and state banquet in honour of President Macron and his spouse. The two Presidents held talks and a joint press meeting, and together witnessed the handover of 14 cooperation documents between the two countries. National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn also met with President Macron and accompanied the guest on a tour of the underground archaeological exhibition space at the National Assembly building.

At the meetings and talks, the Vietnamese leaders welcomed President Macron and the high-level delegation of France on their state visit to Việt Nam. This marks the first visit to the Southeast Asian nation by a French President in nearly a decade, and the first high-level exchange between the two countries since the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024.

President Macron congratulated Việt Nam on its growing role and stature in the region and globally, affirming that France wishes to further strengthen cooperation with Việt Nam in traditional areas such as health care, education, and culture, while also expanding to new areas including infrastructure, urban transport, aerospace, new energy, and historical memory, aligning with the current Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.      

The two sides shared updates on their respective countries' economic and social development, reviewed recent progress in bilateral ties, and discussed key directions for future cooperation. They also exchanged views on international issues of mutual interest.

As part of the visit, President Macron and Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà engaged in a working breakfast with business representatives from both countries in the energy sector to exchange perspectives, visions, and cooperation needs during each country's energy transition process, aiming to foster collaboration in this field.

President Macron and his spouse, accompanied by Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, visited and talked to students at the University of Science and Technology of Hà Nội. They also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the VNVC vaccine and bioproduct manufacturing plant, the largest and most modern vaccine production facility in Việt Nam to date, developed with technology transferred by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi.

The French guests also toured Hà Nội’s Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of General Secretary Tô Lâm, joined Brigitte Macron in a trip to the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum.

On this occasion, the two countries’ leaders issued a joint statement affirming their determination to deepen bilateral relations to meet the aspirations of both peoples. —— VNA/VNS