Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang on December 19 received Benoit Guidée, Director of the Asia–Oceania Department at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, who is visiting Vietnam to co-chair the Vietnam–France Political Consultation.
Hang highly valued the maintenance of the political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, describing it as an effective and substantive channel for reviewing and advancing bilateral cooperation in line with the Vietnam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
She stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its relationship with France, the first European Union country with which Vietnam has established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, noting that the two sides enjoy a solid foundation and significant potential for further cooperation.
She highlighted opportunities to strengthen collaboration in areas where France has strong expertise, including urban transport, strategic infrastructure, railways, energy, and water treatment systems.
For his part, Guidée expressed his pleasure at returning to Vietnam and agreed that bilateral relations have developed positively since being elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024.
He welcomed the high-level exchanges in 2025, including the visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron and the visit to France by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, describing them as important drivers for deepening and expanding bilateral ties.
He affirmed France’s continued support for Vietnam in strategic sectors as well as in research and high-quality human resource training, and proposed maintaining existing dialogue mechanisms effectively.
The two sides also agreed to further enhance cooperation across all areas, including politics, diplomacy, trade, culture, education and training, science and technology, and cooperation between localities, while strengthening coordination at regional and international forums. France affirmed its commitment to accompanying Vietnam in achieving its socio-economic development goals, while Vietnam expressed support for France’s role and initiatives in addressing global challenges.
On this occasion, the Vietnamese official called on France to soon ratify the EU–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and urge the European Commission to lift the IUU’s yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports.
Earlier, Guidée and Bui Ha Nam, Director of the European Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the second Vietnam–France Political Consultation, during which both sides reviewed cooperation outcomes and agreed on orientations to further deepen bilateral relations./.
