At around 9:15 a.m. on October 7 (local time), the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on an official visit to the French Republic took place solemnly at the Invalides Palace in Paris. French Defense Minister Lecornu presided over the welcoming ceremony.

In a solemn atmosphere, the car of General Secretary, President To Lam Entering the main courtyard of the Invalides Palace, Defense Minister Lecornu and the Chief of the Paris Military Region welcomed the General Secretary and President where the car was parked.

The General Secretary and President were invited to take the position of honor; the Vietnamese and French national anthems were played. After the national anthems of the two countries were played, the General Secretary and President reviewed the military band and the honor guard.

Then, the General Secretary and President were invited to move to the front of the line of officials from the two countries; the French Minister of Defense introduced the French officials; the General Secretary and President introduced the Vietnamese officials.

This is the first visit to France by the General Secretary and President of Vietnam in 22 years, aiming to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries, commensurate with the potential and position of both countries in the region and the world; further promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, culture, education, science, technology, local cooperation; at the same time, strengthen the Party's foreign affairs and people's diplomacy. Thereby, urging the French Government to continue to care, support, and create conditions for the Vietnamese community in France to live, study and work stably in the host country.

The official visit also aims to continue affirming Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, proactiveness and active, comprehensive, deep and effective international integration; at the same time, promote and deepen bilateral cooperation with France, bringing the strategic partnership to a new height.

Over the past time, the Vietnam-France strategic partnership has recorded many positive results, with the important pillar being economic and trade cooperation. France is currently one of Vietnam's leading trade partners, investors and major ODA donors in the EU.

Bilateral trade turnover increased by 42% over the past 10 years and reached 2.96 billion USD in the first 7 months of 2024. With more than 300,000 people, the Vietnamese community in France is the largest Vietnamese community in Europe, an important bridge to bring the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership into depth and practicality.