'Vietnam Nuclear Power and High-Speed Rail Rival' France's President in Sales... What about Korea?

【Hanoi (Vietnam) = Bu Thi Tien Correspondent · Kim Jun-seok Reporter】Vietnam and France signed contracts worth over 10 billion dollars (approximately 13.678 trillion won) in various fields such as Airbus aircraft and defense on the 26th. As the two countries embark on economic cooperation in nuclear energy and rail transport, where domestic companies have entered the bidding war, attention is focused on whether there will be a change in the landscape. 
In addition, through this visit by Emmanuel Macron, President of France, Vietnam has formalized cooperation in purchasing 20 Airbus aircraft, nuclear energy cooperation, defense, rail and maritime transport, Airbus Earth observation satellites, and Sanofi vaccines.
This visit by President Macron is the first official visit to Vietnam by a French president in 10 years. It is reported that a total of 14 contracts were signed on this day.
In a press conference where questions from reporters were not allowed, President Macron reaffirmed France's support for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He also emphasized that "the partnership between the two countries includes strengthened defense cooperation, and numerous projects have been concluded in the space and defense sectors."
Luong Cuong, Chairman, stated that "the defense partnership includes information sharing on strategic issues, and strengthening cooperation in the defense industry, cyber security, and counter-terrorism."
Although discussions on nuclear power plants and the North-South high-speed railway of the Vietnamese government took place on this day, detailed consultation contents were not disclosed. 
Vietnam, which declared the resumption of nuclear power development last year, decided to proceed swiftly with the contract for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan Province in the south with the Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom, and is discussing the possibility of nuclear cooperation with Japan, Korea, and France. In addition, during trade negotiations with the United States, Vietnam's state-owned oil and gas company PetroVietnam signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for nuclear power cooperation with the US Westinghouse.
In the North-South high-speed railway project, Vietnam considers Korea, China, Japan, Germany, and France as major partner countries. 
Meanwhile, after visiting a university in Hanoi on the 27th, President Macron is scheduled to head to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. 
rejune1112@fnnews.com Kim Jun-seok Reporter