Co-organised by FPT Corporation, MEDEF International and Business France, the forum focused on sovereign AI and AI-driven business operating models.

At the opening session, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai said Vietnam-France relations have continued to see positive development, particularly since both nations upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024.

According to Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai, recent discussions with leaders of major French industrial groups such as EDF, SNCF, Alstom, Airbus, Thales, Sanofi and Artelia have opened up concrete cooperation opportunities in a range of strategic sectors.

He also called on French businesses to support the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), highlighting it as an important signal for promoting bilateral investment flows.

Vietnam’s push toward high-tech development and AI is creating broad opportunities for cooperation with French businesses, particularly as many French companies have maintained a long-standing presence in the Vietnamese market.

According to Benoit Clocheret, President of MEDEF International – the global outreach arm of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF) and Executive Chairman of Artelia Group, sovereignty is a shared principle in the development strategies of both France and Vietnam, not only at the policy level but also in business cooperation.

He noted that Artelia has operated in Vietnam for more than 20 years, with over 800 employees and more than 1,500 projects, of which 99% of its workforce in Vietnam is local.

One of the key factors drawing strong interest from French investors is Vietnam’s economic growth of more than 8% in 2025.

A representative of Business France said Vietnam’s growth is sustainable and built on solid foundations, driven by structural reforms across multiple sectors, including infrastructure modernisation, healthcare improvement, education reform and international financial ambitions.

According to Business France, Vietnam’s greatest strength lies in its human capital, a young, well-trained workforce that is dynamic, entrepreneurial and highly responsive to innovation and technology.

Dao Quoc Cuong, Financial Counsellor at the Embassy of Vietnam in France, said France currently ranks 16th among countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with cumulative investment exceeding US$ 4 billion across 745 projects in 29 provinces and cities.

Vietnam is entering a new phase of national development, targeting average annual growth of more than 10% during 2026-2030, he continued.

To achieve this goal, Vietnam is accelerating institutional reforms, streamlining administrative procedures and developing new models such as free trade zones and international financial centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

From the technology sector’s perspective, Pham Minh Tuan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of FPT Corporation, said 93% of business leaders now view AI sovereignty as a core issue in technology governance.

However, around half of AI initiatives in Europe and France continue to face implementation challenges due to barriers related to legacy system integration and data fragmentation.

According to Tuan, AI sovereignty can only deliver meaningful results when backed by strong execution capacity.

With its technology foundation, delivery capability and global experience, FPT is well positioned to enable businesses to turn AI strategies into practical, large-scale outcomes.

The Vietnam-France Business Forum 2026 served as a platform for exchanging insights and opened a new chapter for broader strategic cooperation in high technology and AI.

The combination of France’s strengths in research and science and Vietnam’s execution capacity and technology talent is expected to create new competitive advantages for both countries in the global digital economy.

Source: VOV