Macron landed in Vietnam on Sunday in the first part of the trip to Southeast Asia, where visits to, among others, Indonesia and Singapore are planned during the six-day tour.
Macron's goal is to show respect to the countries, as several of them have "ended up in a squeeze between the USA and China", according to a presidential aide who briefed on the trip before departure.
The French President will meet Vietnam's leadership on Monday in the capital Hanoi and then meet representatives of the energy sector. France would like to export civilian nuclear power plants to the region.
France also wants to mark that the Russian invasion war in Ukraine also affects Asia, as among others North Korea is militarily supporting Russia.
According to the unnamed presidential adviser, Macron is also keen to show that France also stands firm in its criticism of Israel for the development in Gaza.
We are fully aware that the issue is sensitive for the Muslim groups (in Southeast Asia)), said Macron's adviser.
