Emmanuel Macron’s Surprise Reform Triggers Nationwide Protests in France — 7 Things You Need to Know

HANOI—French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day visit to Vietnam on 26 May, sealing more than €9 billion ($10.25 billion) in contracts that Paris hopes will anchor a “strategic partnership” in Southeast Asia and blunt escalating U.S.–China rivalry in the region. Key agreements include: • VietJet’s purchase of 20 Airbus A330neo wide-body jets, reinforcing Airbus’ dominance in one of Asia’s fastest-growing aviation markets while giving Hanoi leverage as it juggles prospective 250-jet orders from Boeing. • Defence and cybersecurity pacts that expand intelligence sharing and joint training, a sensitive step for a country caught between French, U.S. and Chinese influence. • An Airbus Defence & Space declaration to explore a next-generation earth-observation satellite, plus Sanofi vaccine cooperation and a €600 million deep-water container terminal led by CMA CGM. WHY IT MATTERS Macron’s trip—the first leg of a tour that also takes him to Indonesia and Singapore—comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened 50 % tariffs on EU goods, a move that rattled export-reliant Vietnam and Europe alike. By front-loading French investment, Paris signals that European partners remain open even as Washington tightens the screws on trade. For Macron, Vietnam is also a proving ground for his “Indo-Pacific strategy,” an effort to project French naval power and champion freedom of navigation in the South China Sea—an area where Hanoi regularly clashes with Beijing over contested reefs. POLITICAL THEATRE AND VIRAL MOMENTS Footage of Brigitte Macron playfully pushing her husband’s face as they disembarked in Hanoi went viral, but the Élysée Palace dismissed it as “a moment of closeness,” turning an awkward clip into social-media gold that kept Macron trending worldwide. LOOKING AHEAD • Additional contracts in rail, maritime transport and nuclear cooperation are expected before Macron departs Hanoi on 27 May. • Analysts will watch whether Vietnam balances today’s Airbus deal with firm Boeing orders to mollify Washington. • Any joint statement on the South China Sea could trigger a response from Beijing, testing Macron’s diplomatic tightrope between deterrence and dialogue. BOTTOM LINE By coupling billion-euro industrial wins with symbolic defence and maritime pledges, Emmanuel Macron is betting that deeper ties with Vietnam will amplify France’s voice in Asia just as global trade tensions flare once again.