Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and French President Emmanuel Macron for the press conference in Paris on September 10 (local time). — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and French President Emmanuel Macron met with the press ahead of their talks at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday afternoon (local time).

General Secretary and President Lâm expressed his pleasure at returning to France and meeting President Macron and his French friends again. He stressed that this is his third meeting with the President in the past three years, a particularly significant milestone that affirms the high level of political trust and close ties underpinning the Việt Nam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The leader thanked President Macron and his spouse, as well as the French Government and people, for their warm welcome to the Vietnamese delegation.

He said Việt Nam has always followed and congratulated France on its important achievements in socio-economic development, particularly its continued position as the leading country in attracting foreign investment for seven consecutive years. Under the leadership of President Macron and with the efforts of the French people, the country has continued to affirm its key role and position in shaping strategies and putting forward initiatives to address challenges and conflicts in the region and the world, the Vietnamese leader said.

General Secretary and President Lâm congratulated France on the successful organisation of the International Space Summit. He said space is a strategically important field for the security and development of countries today. Việt Nam highly values the discussions at the summit on space security and the space economy, which make an important contribution to shaping rules and regulations in the space sector, promoting scientific research and space exploration, advancing technological development, and encouraging young people to engage in space science.

Noting the strong, substantive and comprehensive progress in Việt Nam–France relations in recent years, particularly over the two years since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, General Secretary and President Lâm affirmed that bilateral relations are now at their best stage.

The two sides have maintained regular exchanges and contacts at all levels and through Party, State, parliamentary and people-to-people channels. Economic cooperation has clearly demonstrated its role as a key pillar of bilateral relations, with trade turnover and investment projects increasing year by year. Traditional areas of cooperation, including culture, tourism, education and health care, along with new spheres such as science and technology, are effectively strengthening the bilateral ties in the new period.

General Secretary and President Lâm said Việt Nam is accelerating economic development and reforming its development model, making science and technology a key driving force, while focusing on developing strategic infrastructure, energy and high-quality human resources. These are areas in which France has strong expertise, offering considerable room for the two countries to expand cooperation in the coming time.

Việt Nam and France need to make full use of their respective strengths, capitalise on their complementary advantages, elevate strategic areas of cooperation to a higher level, and establish new frameworks for bilateral cooperation, he suggested.

On the occasion, General Secretary and President Lâm thanked the French Government and expressed his hope that it would continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in France to integrate more deeply into the host society and develop strongly.

Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and French President Emmanuel Macron at the press conference in Paris on September 10 (local time). — VNA/VNS Photo

The leader expressed his confidence that, during his talks with French President Macron and meetings with other high-ranking French leaders, the two sides would discuss new strategic orientations and concrete measures to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, making it more comprehensive, substantive and stronger, for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, cooperation and development in the two regions and around the world.

French President Macron expressed his pleasure at welcoming General Secretary and President Lâm, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to France for an official visit and to attend the International Space Summit.

The host affirmed his longstanding admiration for Việt Nam and expressed his belief that the visit would help consolidate new achievements in bilateral cooperation, on the foundation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2024 and further deepened in 2025.

The French President stressed that the continuous pace of high-ranking delegation exchanges between the two countries demonstrates the dynamism of bilateral relations, while also serving as a lever to help realise the development goals set by Việt Nam in its new era of development and contributing to the strategic autonomy of both sides.

Congratulating the ministries, agencies and businesses of the two countries on the agreements just signed, President Macron affirmed that they represent the vitality of bilateral relations.

He also highlighted several key areas of cooperation, saying stronger links between the two economies and closer ties between businesses of the two countries would provide a solid foundation for industrial development and contribute to ensuring each country’s security.

The French leader remarked that, amid challenges facing the international trading system, the two sides should remain committed to supporting the implementation of the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). He said the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which is expected to be ratified soon, would open up new prospects.

He affirmed France’s desire to become a leading partner of Việt Nam in energy, transport infrastructure, urban development, artificial intelligence and innovation, among other areas.

Cooperation in education and health care are symbolic areas of France–Việt Nam friendship, he said, stressing that the two sides should attach the highest priority to student exchanges.

President Macron expressed his desire for bilateral cooperation to go beyond statements or the signing of strategic agreements and be translated into concrete actions at an increasingly faster pace.

He expressed his belief that the visit by Việt Nam's top leader would further accelerate the implementation of cooperation agreements between the two countries. — VNA/VNS