Invited by State President Luong Cuong, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by the First Lady, conducted a State visit to Vietnam from May 25 to 27, 2025.

Within the framework of the visit, on May 27, President Macron, the First Lady, and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan visited the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH). Established and developed under bilateral agreements between the Vietnamese and French governments signed on November 12, 2009, and November 2, 2018, USTH stands as a symbol of strong educational collaboration between the two countries.

At the university, President Macron held a dialogue with young Vietnamese students and intellectuals.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech and engaged in a dialogue with students at the University.

Expressing his pleasure to meet with the country’s outstanding young scholars, and to be present in Vietnam at a time when decades of successful cooperation between the two nations have paved the way for increasingly close collaboration in education, President Macron emphasized education as a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship.

USTH represents a pillar of this partnership, ranking fifth in Vietnam for scientific research publications and maintaining numerous collaborations with leading French research institutes and universities.

President Macron highlighted that to date, more than 15,000 Vietnamese engineers, over 3,000 medical doctors, and thousands of legal experts have been trained in France.

With the success of the USTH cooperation model, built on mutual trust and understanding, education will continue to be a key pillar in bilateral cooperation aimed at promoting human values and humanitarian principles.

President Macron also announced with pleasure that the two countries will soon sign a new agreement to further enhance educational cooperation.

Addressing the global context, President Macron noted that the world is undergoing significant and unprecedented transformations, including geopolitical shifts marked by conflicts across multiple regions.

Sovereignty and territorial integrity are threatened in various countries. International cooperation rules and laws are increasingly disregarded; concerns over freedom of navigation and maritime sovereignty grow, alongside fluctuating tariffs.

Consequently, the ties between Vietnam and France, as well as ASEAN and the EU, must be given greater attention than ever before.

The French President affirmed that Vietnam and France share common interests in establishing geopolitical balance and peace while ensuring security. In this context, both countries must pursue shared objectives: restoring cooperative relationships for peace and mutual prosperity.

Vietnam and France need to promote the development of education, science, technology, innovation, healthcare, and defense to reduce dependence on other countries and regions — aiming for freedom for humanity and prosperity to combat climate change and prevent biodiversity loss.

According to President Macron, Vietnam is a major economy classified as middle-income. To drive development, the younger generation, scientists, and researchers in Vietnam must address challenges during this period of global volatility, such as raising awareness about climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting carbon dependency, and protecting ecosystems.

“We must find a way to both sustain the economy and protect ecosystems by developing clean, green, and sustainable economic models that achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This includes moving towards cleaner and greener production and consumption for the environment. This is also a central focus of cooperation between Vietnam and France”, President Macron stated.

He further spoke on high-tech applications and artificial intelligence, stressing that AI can enhance human capabilities but cannot replace humans.

France seeks to collaborate with Vietnam in artificial intelligence, renewable energy, digital technology, robotics, and automation. Both countries need to share a common vision in these fields.

France will continue to support talent development in Vietnam. By 2030, France plans to double the number of student exchanges between the two countries.

Students at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi attentively listened to President Emmanuel Macron’s speech.

During the discussion, President Macron openly answered questions from Vietnamese students and intellectuals on technological transformation, skill development for youth, support for Vietnamese students studying in France, and cooperation in architecture between the two nations.

Offering advice to Vietnamese students and young intellectuals, the French President stressed the importance of self-learning, skill refinement, enhancing scientific integrity and credibility, and strengthening critical thinking — all grounded in core humanitarian values.