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12th September 2026

Vietnam, France seek to deepen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore deeper sectoral cooperation to meet development needs in the new context.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on new directions to make the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership deeper, more substantive and effective at their talks in Paris on September 10 (local time), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

President Macron congratulated Vietnam on the major achievements it has made in socio-economic development in recent years. Hailing Vietnam’s growing role and stature in the region and on the international stage, the leader highlighted the longstanding ties between the two peoples and affirmed France’s readiness to stand alongside Vietnam in its new era of development.

President Macron stressed that General Secretary and President Lam’s visit provides an opportunity for the two countries’ high-ranking leaders to exchange views and set new directions to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

General Secretary and President Lam congratulated France on its outstanding achievements and spoke highly of Paris’s important role and position on the international stage. He affirmed that Vietnam’s decision to attach importance to France and choose it as the first EU member state with which to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is a clear testament to the high level of political trust and the determination to elevate bilateral ties to a new level.

The two leaders welcomed the strong and substantive progress in bilateral ties nearly two years after the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Looking ahead, they agreed to maintain regular exchanges at all levels and through all channels, including the Party, Government, National Assembly and people-to-people exchanges, effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore deeper sectoral cooperation to meet development needs in the new context.

On defence and security, the two sides agreed to further strengthen and expand cooperation in military medicine training, coordinate efforts to combat crime, and share information on criminal activities, particularly organised and transnational crime. Vietnam asked France to continue supporting efforts to address war consequences, particularly the search for missing military personnel and the exchange of wartime memorabilia.

In the areas of economy, trade and investment, the two leaders concurred to pursue new, strategic and long-term areas of cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on developing strategic industries and services with broad spillover effects. In particular, they agreed to promote value-chain partnerships based on the model of “French technology – Vietnamese manufacturing – regional and global supply,” helping the two countries’ key products, including processed and manufactured goods and agricultural and food products, become part of global supply chains.

The French side welcomed the signing of a number of cooperation documents during the visit, including agreements covering realms of importance amid the current global context.

General Secretary and President Lam called on both sides to continue effectively implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and urged France to soon complete the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to provide fresh impetus for investors. He also called on France to encourage the European Commission (EC) to remove the “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing at an early date, supporting Vietnam’s efforts to develop fisheries sustainably.

Looking to the future, the leaders agreed to fully tap France’s strengths as a leading scientific power in Europe and officially make science and technology cooperation a new and key pillar of bilateral ties. Breakthrough efforts will focus on strategic areas such as aerospace, critical minerals, quantum technology, clean energy, and research for sustainable development and climate change response.

General Secretary and President Lam suggested the two countries expand scientific research, including space science, and promote technology transfer and the mastery of technologies. He also called on France to support Vietnam in gradually developing quantum technology.

In this regard, President Macron expressed his hope that the two countries would soon launch major and new projects in strategic science and technology fields.

The two sides will also fully tap the potential of traditional areas of cooperation and shift toward more inclusive and effective partnership models.

They will step up cultural and people-to-people exchanges through the organisation of cultural weeks and days in each country, with the Vietnam Days in France programme scheduled for October 2026 as an immediate priority. General Secretary and President Lam suggested France simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The French side affirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in the development of the Museum of the Communist Party of Vietnam. President Macron said France would continue to actively support Vietnam in developing its cultural industries, an area in which France has strengths, as well as provide additional archival materials on President Ho Chi Minh.

France will also continue to promote extensive cooperation with Vietnam in health care and education and training, he added.

General Secretary and President Lam expressed his sincere appreciation to the French side for returning a Dong Son bronze drum to Vietnam as part of the two sides’ commitment to combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, and for donating several artefacts to the Museum of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Praising the active work of the French Institute in Vietnam, he welcomed France’s cooperation in organising a series of Vietnamese cultural events in Paris in October 2026. He also called on France to further support Vietnam in researching, restoring, preserving and promoting the values of its heritage and historic structures, including Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi and old French villas, with the involvement of French architects.

On education and training, the two sides agreed to effectively implement existing cooperation agreements, particularly those supporting French-language teaching in Vietnam.

General Secretary and President Lam called for expanding cooperation in high-quality human resources to sectors aligned with current practical and strategic needs, including semiconductors, new energy and railways.

In health care, the leader highlighted the role of the Pasteur Institutes in Vietnam and called on the two sides to elevate their cooperation, with a view to making Vietnam a leading hub for the application of modern medical technologies in Southeast Asia. He also called for continued scholarships for medical students in Vietnam.

On this occasion, General Secretary and President Lam proposed France continue facilitating the deep integration and strong development of the Vietnamese community there, and establish mechanisms to fully tap the potential of Vietnamese experts, intellectuals and scientists, enabling them to contribute to their host country as well as bilateral ties.

Regarding regional and international issues, President Macron highly valued and shared the Vietnamese leader’s profound views at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue on upholding international law and promoting multilateralism.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations and within the ASEAN-EU framework.

On maritime issues, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, ensuring unimpeded trade and the right of innocent passage in the East Sea and around the world. They underscored the need to settle disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, General Secretary and President Lam and President Macron witnessed the signing and exchange of a number of important cooperation documents between ministries and agencies of the two countries, covering security, health care, aerospace, science and technology, and critical minerals.

Source: VNA

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Party General Secretary and President meets with US Trade Representative in New York

22nd September 2026

The US Trade Representative said that once signed and implemented, the agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade would continue to open up new opportunities and prospects for cooperation between the two countries.

NEW YORK — Việt Nam attaches importance to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the United States and wishes to work with the administration of President Donald J. Trump to continue advancing bilateral relations in a stable, substantive, effective and sustainable manner, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm has affirmed.

The leader made the affirmation at a meeting with US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer in New York on the morning of September 21 (local time), as part of his trip to the US to attend the High-Level General Debate of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly and conduct bilateral activities.

General Secretary and President Lâm stressed that economic, trade and investment cooperation is one of the most important pillars of bilateral relations, directly benefiting businesses and people and contributing to the development of both countries.

In recent years, Việt Nam has made efforts to substantively promote cooperation and purchase goods from the US in order to boost bilateral trade in a more balanced direction, while creating more orders, jobs and direct benefits for businesses and workers in both countries, he continued.

For his part, Greer highly appreciated the attention paid by General Secretary and President Lâm and Việt Nam's efforts to balance trade between the two countries. He also said that the two negotiating teams have made great efforts, and have so far made significant progress and come very close to reaching a final outcome.

The Trade Representative said that once signed and implemented, the agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade would continue to open up new opportunities and prospects for cooperation between the two countries.

General Secretary and State President Lâm welcomed the very positive results achieved by the two sides toward the early signing of the agreement, creating a stable, long-term framework for economic, trade and investment relations.

He also called on the US to take a comprehensive approach to outstanding trade issues, including those related to investigations under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. On that basis, the leader expressed his wish that the two countries step up efforts to promote the substantive development of bilateral economic, trade and investment ties, thus bringing benefits to their people.

More than 3,400 stalled projects nationwide reported to have obstacles cleared

22nd September 2026

These projects having combined investment capital of more than VND2.5 quadrillion ($95 billion).

As of September 15, 2026, a total of 4,685 projects facing prolonged difficulties and unresolved issues nationwide had been registered on the Ministry of Finance’s System.

Of these, 3,407 projects, accounting for 72.7% of the total, with combined investment capital of more than VND2.5 quadrillion ($95 billion), were reported to have completed the classification and resolution process and were therefore no longer facing difficulties.

Another 1,123 projects, equivalent to 23.97% of the total, have had proposed solutions prepared by ministries, sectors and local authorities for implementation in the coming period.

The remaining 155 projects, accounting for 3.3%, require solutions under the authority of the National Assembly, the Government or the Prime Minister, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Ho Chi Minh City has reported significant progress in addressing stalled projects. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), as of September 5, a total of 1,338 projects facing prolonged difficulties had been registered on the system of the municipal Department of Finance. These projects covered more than 30,691 hectares, with total investment capital of VND658.084 trillion.

After three months of intensive efforts, the southern city's 233 projects, or 25.3%, had their difficulties and obstacles removed. For the remaining 688 projects, accounting for 74.7%, municipal departments and agencies had proposed solutions for further handling.

Vanguard eyes $2.5 bln investment in Vietnam stocks after FTSE upgrade

21st September 2026

Vanguard, the world’s second-largest asset manager behind BlackRock, is projected to invest $2.5 billion in Vietnam’s stock market over the next year following the upcoming upgrade to emerging-market status by FTSE Russell, a senior executive said.

Duncan Burns, head of investment management and global equities for Asia-Pacific at Vanguard, made the comment at a conference marking Vietnam’s inclusion in the FTSE Russell Global Equity Index Series, held by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

The planned investment is higher than previous estimates by some Vietnamese analysts, who had forecast inflows of around $1-2 billion following the upgrade.

Markets included in major benchmark indexes typically gain greater attention from global investors, helping improve access to international capital, Burns said.

Many investors might never have visited Vietnam, but through Vanguard, they could participate in the sustainable growth of this market, he added.

Vietnam’s stock market is set to be officially upgraded to secondary emerging market under FTSE Russell’s classification on September 21, a move expected to expand the market’s access to foreign capital inflows.

SSI Research estimates that Vanguard funds tracking the FTSE Global Equity Index Series could make net purchases of $240.5 million in 27 Vietnamese stocks included in the emerging-market index.

Vanguard, founded in 1975, manages about $13 trillion in assets for more than 60 million investors globally.

FTSE Russell added 27 Vietnamese stocks to its emerging-market index in its latest portfolio review released in late August.

Among the 27 stocks, three are classified as large-cap companies: Vietcombank (HoSE: VCB, Vingroup (HoSE: VIC), and Vinhomes (HoSE: VHM). Six mid-cap stocks include BIDV (HoSE: BID), Hoa Phat (HoSE: HPG), and VPBank (HoSE: VPB), while the remaining 21 stocks are classified as small-cap companies.

At the conference, Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan said regulators would continue to strengthen corporate governance and market discipline while developing the legal framework for new market models and products in line with international trends.

The ministry will also continue reforms aimed at building a more transparent, secure, and attractive capital market, thus facilitating market access, particularly for foreign investors, and pushing Vietnam’s capital markets closer to international standards, Tuan added.

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