Viet Nam and France Strengthen Aviation Cooperation

The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Construction headquarters, with CAAV Director General Uông Việt Dũng and Mr. Thibaut Lallemand, Head of North Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania at DGAC, representing their respective agencies. The event was witnessed by French Ambassador to Viet Nam Olivier Brochet and Deputy Minister of Construction Lê Anh Tuấn.

In his remarks, Ambassador Brochet emphasized the importance of aviation cooperation as a key priority in the France–Viet Nam Strategic Partnership. He recalled the recent official visit of Secretary General and State President Tô Lâm to France in October 2024 as a milestone in strengthening bilateral trust and shared interests. The ambassador reaffirmed France’s commitment to sharing its expertise and information to help Viet Nam enhance its aviation safety capacity, financial resources, and human capital.

Deputy Minister Lê Anh Tuấn also praised the positive cooperation between CAAV and DGAC, expressing gratitude to the French government for its continued support—not only in aviation but across the broader transport sector. 

He highlighted the working visits between the two nations, including a visit by Vietnam’s Minister of Transport (now Minister of Construction) to France in April 2024 and the recent trip of French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot to Viet Nam in March 2025.

Deputy Minister Tuấn called for DGAC’s support in training and capacity building for airport safety inspectors, technical assistance in evaluating runway pavement classification indices, and the organization of specialized training and workshops on flight operations management. He also encouraged continued collaboration to implement the technical cooperation agreement effectively.

The broader Technical Cooperation Agreement between CAAV and DGAC was originally signed in Paris on May 24, 2018. On April 8, 2025, ahead of the new annex signing, Director General Uông Việt Dũng hosted a meeting with the DGAC delegation to review the implementation of the agreement to date. Since 2019, the two sides have signed five annexes and held annual Executive Committee meetings to coordinate support activities.

Annex VI, signed on April 9, outlines cooperation in strategic planning, safety oversight systems, and the National Aviation Safety Program. Under this annex, DGAC will assist CAAV in developing a strategic plan to accommodate the sector’s rapid growth in the coming years. 

The French side will also help strengthen CAAV’s oversight of airlines and maintenance organizations, support internal training of aviation safety inspectors, and guide Vietnam’s transition to a risk-based oversight model. Additionally, DGAC will aid CAAV in establishing an effective program to manage systemic risks in the country’s air transport network.

The annex includes tailored technical training programs to help develop the expertise of CAAV’s safety oversight personnel, underscoring France’s ongoing role as a key partner in advancing Vietnam’s aviation safety and regulatory capacity.