France and Vietnam signed a deal on Monday for 20 Airbus planes, as well as defence and space pacts, as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France’s influence in its former colony, grappling with threats of crippling US tariffs.
Macron’s first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, follows US President Donald Trump’s threats on Friday to impose 50 per cent duties on European Union goods from June 1, fuelling tensions with the 27-country bloc. He later delayed that deadline to July 9.
Export-dependent Vietnam, under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods, has pledged in trade talks to try to avert 46 per cent tariffs that could impair its growth, fanning European concerns about deals at the region’s expense.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, Airbus Executive Vice President International Wouter van Wersch, Vietnamese airline CEO Vietjet Dinh Viet Phuong, and chairperson Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao attended the signing event in Hanoi.
According to a list of papers seen by Reuters, agreements reached during Macron’s visit included the acquisition of aircraft, collaboration on nuclear energy, military, railroads, Airbus earth-observation satellites, and Sanofi vaccines. This confirmed a previous claim.
According to an official, further agreements would be revealed on Tuesday. A total of 14 agreements were inked, falling short of the dozens the French presidential palace had stated were being prepared before the visit.
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