Speaking with Vietnamese students, French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the challenges facing not only France and Vietnam but many countries worldwide, particularly in labor and employment.
This morning, President Macron, accompanied by his wife and Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, visited the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), an institution established and developed under agreements between the two governments.
President Macron emphasized that education is a key pillar of the bilateral relationship between France and Vietnam. USTH serves as a cornerstone of this partnership, ranking fifth in Vietnam for scientific research publications and collaborating extensively with leading French academic and research institutions.
Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and French President Emmanuel Macron visit the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi.
President Macron interacts with students at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi.
More than 15,000 engineers, over 3,000 doctors, and thousands of legal experts from Vietnam have been trained in France. The president cited Professor Tran Thanh Van, a French-Vietnamese scientist, as an example of the significant contributions to science and the France-Vietnam relationship.
President Macron announced that France and Vietnam would sign a new educational agreement to further strengthen cooperation in this vital area.
He noted that the world is undergoing profound transformations unlike any his generation has ever faced, including geopolitical shifts that affect economies, societies, and spark conflicts across regions.
Sovereignty and territorial integrity in many countries are under threat. International cooperation laws and norms are being disregarded, while maritime freedom and territorial sovereignty are raising concerns, alongside fluctuating tariff policies.
President Macron discusses shared challenges and collaboration potential between France and Vietnam.
Given this context, President Macron stressed the need for deeper ties between Vietnam and France, as well as between ASEAN and the EU. He highlighted shared interests in maintaining geopolitical balance and peace, and ensuring security.
“In this situation, Vietnam and France must jointly pursue the goal of rebuilding cooperation for peace and shared prosperity,” he stated.
The two countries, he said, should expand collaboration in education, science, technology, innovation, healthcare, and defense to reduce dependency on other nations and regions. These partnerships should aim for human freedom and global prosperity, addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
To foster development, he called on young Vietnamese scientists and researchers to tackle these global challenges. “We must ensure economic growth while protecting the ecosystem, moving toward a clean, green, and sustainable development model to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We need cleaner, greener production and consumption - for the sake of the environment. This is also a core element in our cooperation,” he noted.
President Macron also pointed to high-tech applications and artificial intelligence (AI), acknowledging that while AI can enhance human capabilities, it cannot replace humans.
Vietnam, he said, is a major economy that has achieved remarkable success over the past 30 years, yet still faces significant challenges, particularly its heavy dependence on coal energy. France is eager to collaborate with Vietnam to decarbonize its economy.
Another challenge, he continued, is Vietnam’s need to successfully transition to clean energy while maintaining ecosystem integrity. “If we chase economic growth at the expense of the environment, or vice versa, it will be unsustainable. We must balance these two goals and research clean, green economic models. We are committed to this, and it is central to our bilateral relationship,” Macron explained.
On technology, he again emphasized AI, saying it enables faster, stronger development but must never threaten human autonomy or independence.
President Macron answers questions from students and scholars on technology, skills, and cooperation opportunities.
France, he said, wishes to cooperate with Vietnam in AI, renewable energy, digital technology, robotics, and automation. Both countries must share a common vision in these areas.
Addressing demographics, Macron remarked that with a global population of around 8 billion, the world faces challenges like food security, demographic imbalance, and aging populations. Some European and Asian nations are aging rapidly. Vietnam, while having a youthful population, faces its own labor and employment challenges.
President Macron openly engaged with Vietnamese students and intellectuals, responding to questions about technological transformation, essential skills for youth, support for overseas students in France, and Vietnam-France collaboration in architecture.
He emphasized the need for changes in education and training, noting that a lack of skills among young people poses a threat to national labor markets. “France will continue to support Vietnam in training talent at the undergraduate, bachelor's, and research levels,” the president affirmed.
Vietnamnet.vn
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