Newly-appointed French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet desires to beef up the bilateral partnership in various aspects, with a focus on the fight against climate change and trade between Vietnam and France, he told reporters in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Brochet presented his credentials to Vietnam’s State President Vo Van Thuong last week.

Revealing his goals in his three-year term in Vietnam, Brochet underlined that France pledges to join hands with Vietnam to respond to climate change and protect biodiversity.

As part of the fight against climate change, France will support Vietnam’s efforts in transition to clean energy from fossil fuels, he said.

As per the Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement, France will provide the Southeast Asian nation with at least 500 million euros (US$523.2 million) in aid.

The newly-appointed French ambassador also aims to help Vietnam foster its economic growth and meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards.

Vietnam should prioritize the ESG standards in order to effectively tap various free trade agreements such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, Brochet said.

Many European markets pay attention to the ESG sphere and see it as an environmental protection and sustainability benchmark to assess goods.

If more and more Vietnamese products exported to France and Europe meet the ESG requirements, Vietnam’s goods might enter any market around the world, Brochet affirmed.

He also said that his next purpose is to help French enterprises provide the Vietnamese market with quality products.

France is famous for high-quality products and services such as cosmetics, Airbus aircraft, medicine and agro-produce, so the potential for cooperation in these fields in Vietnam is huge.

Replying to a question about a potential bilateral partnership in the semiconductor industry, Brochet said that he supports cooperation in this field.

The diplomat described the Vietnam-France relationship as 'special,' noting that the two nations have experienced their ups and downs and overcome different challenges in order to both thrive.

Bilateral ties between the two nations continue to deepen as they make great strides in a variety of industries.  

France is Vietnam’s second-largest EU investor, creating 50,000 jobs for Vietnamese workers.

Vietnam is one of France’s major scholarship recipients.

The two nations established a strategic partnership in 2013. This year marks the 10th anniversary of that partnership.

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