French president kicks off Southeast Asia trip with Vietnam visit

By Aamir Latif

ANKARA (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Vietnam on Sunday in the first leg of his Southeast Asia visit, the first one by a French leader in a decade.

During his three-day state visit, Macron is scheduled to with Communist Party chief To Lam and President Luong Cuong, and witness a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements, local English news site Vietnam News reported.

This is Macron's first visit to Vietnam since his first term back in 2017.

It follows To Lam's official visit to France in October last year, during which the two countries upgraded their ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership."

France and Vietnam established their diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level in April 1973.

The two countries have seen an increasing economic and trade collaboration in recent years, with France being Vietnam's fifth-largest trading partner in Europe.

Bilateral trade volume reached $5.42 billion last year and $1.79 billion in the first four months of this year.

Macron will fly to Jakarta to meet with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, followed by a trip to Singapore to deliver a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday.

His trip is part of France’s push to deepen economic ties and counter China's growing influence in the region.