Vietnam will buy 40 Airbus planes worth USD 6.5 billion following an agreement signed between several Vietnamese and French airlines this morning, September 6, in Hanoi.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his French counterpart Francois Hollande attended the signing ceremony of many cooperation agreements between the two nations on September 6
Of the Airbus plane purchasing contracts, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will buy 10 planes, Vietjet Air 20 and Jetstar Pacific 10.
This is one among 16 co-operation agreements signed by many enterprises of the two countries on the occasion of the French President's on-going visit to Vietnam.
The signing ceremony was held this morning at the attendance of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
One of the deals involves the French Development Agency (AFD), which is expected to provide a 52.5 million-euro loan package and 1 million euros of non-refundable aid to help the central province of Ha Tinh, the northern province of Ninh Binh and the southern city of Can Tho manage water sources. The AFD is also expected to contribute another 100 million euros this year and 50 million euros from 2017-2018 to help Vietnam deal with climate change.
Another agreement was signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the French Ministry for Agriculture, Food Industry and Forestry.
Other co-operation agreements signed this morning related to delegation exchanges, education and training, laws, and science and technology.
Several memoranda of understanding were signed between Vietnam Expressway Corporation and French Vinci Concessions Group, Vietnamese FPT Group and French Telespazio Company, and Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation and Airbus.
France is Vietnam’s fifth largest trade partner in Europe, behind Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Italy, with two-way trade reaching USD4.3 billion in 2015, up 19 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam mainly exports footwear, garments and textiles, household utensils, seafood, machinery and electronic components to France while importing aviation equipment, pharmaceuticals, mechanical and electronic products, chemicals and alcoholic beverages from the country.
With nearly 300 projects worth over USD3.4 billion, France is now the third largest European investor in Vietnam, after the Netherlands and the UK, and ranks 16th among 114 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.