Effective engagement from a French agency

Why have you paid a visit to Vietnam at this time?

There are three main reasons that underpin the purpose of my visit to Vietnam.

First, Expertise France is the French agency for international technical cooperation. We implement projects in about a hundred countries and territories, deploying experts in the field and strengthening public policies in our partner states to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. For the past three years, we have also been part of the French Development Agency (AFD) Group. This means that France has brought together all its cooperation and development instruments under one “common house” to be more effective.

Second, I am here to discuss with our Vietnamese partners the support we have been providing since 1993. Long before Expertise France was created, the agencies that later merged to form it were already working with Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF). Today, we are carrying out ten projects worth €10 million ($11 million). Eighteen people are currently working in our Hanoi office, and this portfolio is growing quickly. In fact, in the months to come we will triple the volume of investments committed to Franco-Vietnamese cooperation. During my visit, I have had the opportunity to meet with the MoF, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We discussed Vietnam’s long-term priorities, particularly its decarbonization strategy, and how we can best support these investments and reforms.

Third, I am here to celebrate the successes of Franco-Vietnamese cooperation. We are proud, for example, to have contributed to the creation of Vietnam’s digital public services platform, thanks to French expertise. Another example is the renovation of Hanoi’s architectural heritage, with support from the Île-de-France Region, including the restoration of the building at 46 Hang Bai. It is a beautiful illustration of how, together with the city of Hanoi, we can bring new life to historic heritage. In the health sector too, we have achieved significant results, particularly in supporting vulnerable populations to reduce the transmission of HIV and tuberculosis. These are programs we run in several countries, but in Vietnam, the outcomes have been especially strong.

Vietnam has been identified as one of the priority countries in France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. What role does Vietnam play in Expertise France’s cooperation efforts in this region?

Vietnam is indeed a key country for both France and Europe in the Indo-Pacific. This is reflected in the strategic partnership between France and Vietnam, which highlights several areas of cooperation that are vital for the country’s future.

One of the most important is the strengthening of skills and qualifications within the Vietnamese workforce, so that it can meet the growing demand for higher value-added expertise in strategic sectors such as information technology, engineering, and applied research.

In this context, we have focused a significant part of our cooperation on vocational training, supporting the establishment and development of centers of excellence in science, technology, and emerging disciplines that are essential to Vietnam’s economic development.

In a global context marked by challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and political instability, how is Expertise France adapting its approach to ensure effective and sustainable cooperation with Vietnam?

The international situation, as well as the ambitions of our partner countries, and Vietnam in particular, requires us to live up to expectations. This calls for a collective effort, and it commits the entire AFD Group to step up its engagement in order to be more effective.

In practical terms, this means acting in a coordinated way, ensuring that human and technical expertise is aligned with public financing, but also with the involvement of the private sector. We must further mobilize operational investments from private actors in support of long-term development objectives.

This is precisely the approach we are pursuing today, working alongside the entire Team Europe and with all European stakeholders, to successfully mobilize the necessary resources and respond to Vietnam’s significant investment needs.

Your visit to Vietnam coincides with the launch of the second phase of the green finance support program with the MoF. Could you tell us more about this new phase?

We are indeed entering the second phase of our support to the MoF in the field of green finance.

In essence, our work is structured around two main areas. The first is support for the establishment of a carbon market in Vietnam. A key milestone was already achieved last May, with the adoption of a law creating this market. The second is the development of green bonds, which make it possible to mobilize international savings to finance projects aligned with long-term sustainable pathways.

This week, two of our experts were in Hanoi to work on Phase 2. This phase will focus on operationalizing the carbon market: first through a testing phase, and then by progressively enabling greenhouse gas emitters to trade permits on the market, with potential buyers in France and beyond.

Phase 2 will also involve the practical implementation of green bond issuances, as well as in-depth work on green taxation - that is, how the fiscal system can provide the right incentives to accelerate the shift towards a decarbonized economy. This is a priority project for the MoF and was in fact discussed at the highest level between the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the President of the French Republic. We are therefore strongly committed to ensuring that it is implemented as effectively as possible.

How do you assess Vietnam’s digital transformation, both in economic and social terms, and what contribution can Expertise France bring in this field?

The digital transition is absolutely essential for Vietnam’s integration into the global economy. More broadly, our support takes several forms. I mentioned earlier our work in strengthening digital governance, which is a key area of engagement. In addition, we facilitate the connection between the Vietnamese economy and European businesses, startups, and research centers, particularly in the fields of digital technology and AI.

In this regard, we will be hosting a major meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on October 21 between European and Vietnamese stakeholders dedicated to digital issues, with the aim of reinforcing partnerships and fostering the exchange of new ideas and technologies.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Expertise France’s presence in Vietnam, what message would you like to convey to your partners and to the Vietnamese public?

It is a simple one: regardless of a country’s level of development, it always benefits from cooperating with others. In a world that sometimes tends to fragment, those who turn inward miss opportunities for progress, while those who are able to compare their practices with what is being done elsewhere - drawing on the wealth of global experience - are the ones who advance most quickly.

We all have something to learn from one another. France, for instance, has much to learn from Vietnam’s achievements. The more we create bridges and foster direct dialogue between professionals facing the same challenges - whether managing traffic congestion in Paris or reducing flood risks for critical infrastructure in Vietnam - the more we strengthen our collective ability to find solutions.

This is precisely the value and richness of technical cooperation: sharing experiences, pooling best practices, and recognizing that this mode of collaboration is an essential driver of development. I am convinced that we must continue to promote it everywhere in the world, together with our partner countries.