Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received in Hanoi on November 5 Pierre Barnabé, Chief Operating Officer of French technology group Dassault Systèmes.
At the meeting, the Deputy PM praised the group's contributions to promoting technology cooperation between Vietnam and France, particularly its collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the National Innovation Centre (NIC) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI) in Hanoi.
He stressed that the Vietnamese Government considers science and technology, innovation and digital transformation key drivers of national development in the new era.
The Government is focusing on improving institutions, developing infrastructure and human resources, and advancing strategic technology industries. It also prioritises attracting high-tech projects and research and development activities with high added value to strengthen the country's technological capabilities.
The Deputy PM congratulated Dassault Systèmes on the successful organisation of the 3DEXPERIENCE Vietnam 2026 Forum in Hanoi on November 4. The event provided a platform for government agencies, businesses and experts to exchange experience, explore cooperation opportunities and promote technology applications to improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises.
Welcoming the group's plans to expand investment and cooperation in Vietnam, Deputy PM Dung called on it to strengthen links with domestic businesses, research institutes and universities, and translate bilateral cooperation orientations into concrete initiatives to support Vietnam's development goals.
He urged Dassault Systèmes and its Vietnamese partners to continue working with NIC to make the Centre of Excellence for digital twins and AI more effective, linking human resources training with research, development and practical technology applications.
In particular, he highlighted the potential for digital twin and AI applications in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), smart manufacturing, transport and smart urban development.
Cooperation should focus on addressing specific challenges facing businesses and localities, ensuring that solutions are practical, applicable and effective, he said. Successful models could then be expanded to other areas.
He expressed his hope that cooperation between Dassault Systèmes and Vietnamese partners would continue to deliver tangible results and mutual benefits, contributing to the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
He reaffirmed that the Vietnamese Government welcomes and creates favourable conditions for foreign businesses, including French investors, encouraging them to expand investment and pursue long-term cooperation in Vietnam, particularly in high technology, innovation and digital transformation.
For his part, Barnabé thanked the Deputy PM for the meeting, saying Dassault Systèmes and the French business community wish to accompany Vietnam in promoting innovation and digital transformation, particularly amid the rapid development of AI.
He noted that Vietnam boasts considerable cooperation opportunities in energy, transport and industry.
Looking ahead, Barnabé stressed the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and ensuring data security. Dassault Systèmes is providing generative AI solutions while researching and developing sovereign AI solutions to meet Vietnam's needs.
The group stands ready to share its experience and technological solutions to promote cooperation between businesses from the two countries, he said.
It also hopes to expand partnerships beyond government agencies and large corporations to include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which play an important role in Vietnam's economy./.
