Phnom Penh (VNA) - Vietnam stands ready to work with Francophone countries and partners in promising fields such as AI, digital technology, the semiconductor industry and green transformation, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam said at the 2026 Francophone Business and Innovation Forum (FrancoTech 2026) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 15 as part of the 20th Francophonie Summit.
He said Vietnam welcomes investment projects involving advanced technologies, promoting research and development and human resource training. Vietnamese businesses are ready to seize opportunities for digital trade and investment cooperation with Francophone markets.
Vietnam is also prepared to work with Francophone members on concrete initiatives to strengthen scientific, technological and innovation links across the community, the leader stated.
General Secretary and President Lam said the global economy is undergoing profound changes, driven by the far-reaching impacts of science, technology and innovation. Big data, AI and emerging technologies were fundamentally transforming socio-economic life and governance methods. These developments raised the question of how scientific and technological advances could be turned into development opportunities for countries and businesses while delivering tangible benefits to the people.
He held that advances in science, technology and the digital economy are opening up unprecedented opportunities for the community to overcome geographical barriers, strengthen connectivity and expand markets.
The Vietnamese leader stressed that the Francophone community needs to make scientific, technological and digital economic cooperation a driving force for development across the Francophone space. He suggested a focus on key areas of cooperation, saying members should clearly identify priorities and take concrete action to advance cooperation in science, technology and the digital economy.
He proposed the organisation of a Francophone ministerial conference on the digital economy to strengthen policy coordination, identify cooperation policies in this field and establish a legal framework enabling businesses to engage in trade and investment in the digital environment.
To strengthen innovation links within the Francophone community, he called for greater knowledge sharing, research cooperation, technology transfer and commercialisation of research results across the Francophone economic space, bringing scientific and technological achievements into production and business activities as well as everyday life.
He advocated a connected approach to technology and innovation, including a “triple helix” model within the Francophone community, bringing together the State, researchers and businesses to jointly conduct research, develop technologies and put them into practice.
He welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to promote digital transformation in higher education between Viettel Cambodia (Metfone), the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, describing it as a concrete and practical step towards implementing this cooperation model.
General Secretary and President Lam also called for the development of human resources capable of meeting the demands of the digital era, with particular attention to young people and women, and for training to be aligned with businesses’ practical needs. This would enhance workers’ adaptability and their ability to participate in the digital economy.
He stressed the selection of sectors with strong potential and complementary strengths among member countries to support the development of the Francophone digital economy, including digital technology infrastructure, e-commerce ecosystems, digital payment tools and business management solutions. In addition, he stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in the responsible, inclusive and human-centred application of AI, helping build a dynamic, safe and trusted Francophone AI ecosystem, narrow the digital divide and generate fresh momentum for sustainable development.
Held under the theme “One Francophone Community, One Digital Future”, this is the forum's second edition, following the inaugural event in France in 2024. It brought together representatives from more than 90 governments, featured 200 exhibition booths and attracted 5,000 visitors, investors and representatives of innovation organisations. Vietnam took part with a national pavilion, alongside major businesses including Vietnam Airlines, Viettel Cambodia (Metfone), Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB), the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), MekongNet and the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).
On the occasion, General Secretary and President Lam, together with a number of Francophone leaders, toured exhibition booths at the forum.
At the national pavilion and booths operated by Vietnamese corporations and businesses, the leaders took time to learn about their products and projects, ranging from aviation services, telecommunications and digital banking to regional connectivity platforms./.
