Written by Francesco Guarascio and Elizabeth Pineau
Hanoi/Paris (Reuters) – Infrastructure and energy are one of the issues for French President Emmanuel Macron, and will discuss Vietnamese leaders in a state visit next week, officials said.
The French president’s first trip to Vietnam in nearly a decade has been part of a bigger trip to Southeast Asia. Macron will move to Indonesia on May 27 and end in Singapore, and he will begin speaking at the top Asian defence conference on May 30.
Macron's Elysee office told Reuters that dozens of deals are being prepared to sign during the visit. An official familiar with the negotiations said about 30 conventions were being discussed ahead of the signing ceremony on Monday.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Vietnam, which is export-dependent, is caught off guard by the threat of high tariffs, is trying to re-adjust its growth model to focus more on government spending and plans to make substantial investments in transportation, communications and energy.
Macron has followed leaders from China, Japan and other European countries to visit the region in recent weeks, demonstrating the strategic importance of Southeast Asia in uncertainty over global supply chains and trade.
Satellite, energy
One agreement in negotiations is to replace the Earth Observation satellite, established by the predecessor of the Airbus Department of Defense and launched in 2013.
An official said a non-binding memorandum of understanding could be signed during Macron's visit. Second official said other satellite discussions are underway.
Airbus did not respond to a request for comment, but has said in the past it is replacing Vietnam satellites. Elysee has not commented on this particular protocol.
France is also keen to discuss energy cooperation and anticipate progress on renewable energy projects under the EU-backed Justice Energy Transition Partnership, the two officials said.
Nuclear energy will also be on the desktop, although no deal is expected, a source said. Vietnam has decided to restart its nuclear power program as it strives to meet growing energy demand from its ever-expanding economy.
Officials say Russia and Japan appear to be leading the way in nuclear negotiations. France, South Korea and the United States also discussed possible cooperation with Hanoi. According to the Vietnamese government, talks were held this week with trade negotiations.
France is also interested in plans to establish a new high-speed link between Vietnam's top cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which estimates a cost of $67 billion will be Vietnam's largest infrastructure project.
(Francesco Guarascio's report in Hanoi and Elizabeth Pineau of Paris; other reports in Hanoi by Phuong Nguyen; Editor of Alex Richardson)
