Overview

• A viral video captured Brigitte Macron pushing President Macron’s face as they disembarked in Hanoi, leading the Élysée to initially question its authenticity before confirming it was real.
• Macron dismissed the interaction as playful banter between the couple, warning that disinformation networks had exaggerated the moment into a “geo-planetary catastrophe.”
• France and Vietnam signed deals worth about €9 billion covering Airbus aircraft orders, defense cooperation, nuclear energy projects and vaccine production.
• The agreements underscore Macron’s bid to position France as a reliable alternative partner to the United States and China and to bolster trade and security ties in the Indo-Pacific.
• Macron’s Southeast Asia tour now moves on to Indonesia and Singapore, where he will pursue further economic and defense collaboration.