Article by General Secretary, President To Lam on the occasion of the 19th Francophone Summit

The idea of ​​a Francophone economic space was born at the 7th Francophonie Summit in Hanoi November 14-16, 1997 – The first summit held in the Asia-Pacific region. Along with the adoption of the Charter of the Francophone, this Conference marked an important transition of the Francophone from the framework of cultural cooperation through the common language of French to comprehensive cooperation in both politics and economics.

The Francophone space, with a population of about 1,2 billion people, accounting for 16% of GDP and 20% of global trade, is a land of great potential for economic cooperation. As an active and responsible member of the Francophone community, Vietnam strongly supports and proactively participates in Francophone efforts to strengthen economic cooperation, for the prosperity and sustainable development of its members.

In 2023, with a GDP of about 430 billion USD, Vietnam will become the 34th largest economy in the world. From a country with food shortages, Vietnam has now become a leading exporter of rice and agricultural products in the world. Vietnam is also among the most open economies in the world, with a trade turnover of more than 735 billion USD, participating in 16 FTAs ​​with most of the world's major partners...

However, trade between Vietnam and Francophone member countries is still quite modest, accounting for only about 5% of the total import-export turnover between Vietnam and the world. Investment from Francophone countries to Vietnam and from Vietnam to Francophone countries is also not commensurate with the potential, while our economies can completely complement each other in the global supply chain.

Therefore, promoting the great potential for economic cooperation with countries in the Francophone community is one of Vietnam's top priorities in Francophone cooperation in the coming years.

With positive achievements in the field of agriculture, Vietnam is working with some Francophone African members to effectively implement South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation. Cooperation in this field needs to be further promoted, especially with the participation of developed Francophone countries. Cooperation in agriculture will contribute to hunger eradication, poverty reduction, ensuring food security, and effectively implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in the Francophone space.

Along with that, we need to further exploit the potential for cooperation in science, technology and innovation. France's organization of the FrancoTech Forum on the occasion of the Summit is a practical and useful initiative.

Faced with the strong development of science and technology, Francophonie needs to create opportunities for countries, businesses, and research centers to share information and promote cooperation on new and pioneering technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation. We hope that Francophonie members will support the improvement of the quality of human resources, especially in emerging technology industries.

To promote Francophone economic cooperation, the International Organization of the Francophone needs to further promote its role in promoting Francophone economic cooperation strategies, projects and programs. In addition, the Francophone Business Forum is a bridge to promote cooperation and business activities between Francophone enterprises, further enhancing trade and investment between Francophone members.

These tasks must be carried out in parallel with the continued promotion of the dissemination and teaching of French. French must become the language of business, creativity, knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship. This is what guarantees the vitality and coherence of this wonderful language.

Vietnam wishes to promote Francophone economic cooperation as well as contribute to Francophone common efforts for peace, cooperation, solidarity and sustainable development in the Francophone space.