Vietnam has signed an agreement with France to buy 20 Airbus aircraft, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The contract to buy 20 A330neo wide-body aircraft from Vietnamese low-cost airline "VietJet" was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Hanoi today.
Vietnam and France also signed a number of other cooperation agreements today in areas such as nuclear energy, rail transport, surveillance satellites and vaccine production.
Macron is the first French president to pay an official visit to Vietnam in nearly 10 years. He made the trip after US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to impose 50 percent tariffs on EU-made goods from June.
Export-dependent Vietnam is under pressure to buy more American goods. To prevent the introduction of 46 percent US tariffs, Hanoi has made commitments to Washington that could hinder Vietnamese growth, and Europe fears that the Asian country could make agreements that are detrimental to the region, Reuters notes.
Macron reiterated to journalists today France's position in support of freedom of navigation. The issue is important for Vietnam, as the country often clashes with Beijing over disputed borders in the South China Sea. Macron added that the partnership with Vietnam includes "enhanced defense cooperation". The French president stressed that many projects related to defense and space were signed.
Vietnamese President Luong Cong, for his part, said that defense cooperation includes "sharing information on strategic issues" and stronger cooperation in the defense industry, cybersecurity and the fight against terrorism.
The Asian country has been a French colonial possession for nearly 70 years. France was forced to withdraw from Vietnam in 1954 after its troops suffered a heavy defeat near the city of Dien Bien Phu. Relations between Paris and Hanoi have improved in recent decades, and last year the two countries raised the level of their relations to "comprehensive strategic cooperation".
Vietnam is the first stop on Macron's tour of Southeast Asia, which also includes Indonesia and Singapore.