Hanoi has shown diplomatic skill in juggling its partnerships with the US, the EU, China and Russia. The French president aims this week to boost trade ties with Vietnam, but defense is also very high on the agenda. https://p.dw.com/p/4uvL5 Leaders of France and Vietnam, Emmanuel Macron and To Lam, smile during a luncheon in Hanoi Emmanuel Macron (r) described France as a 'familiar, safe, and reliable friend' to Vietnam while meeting Vietnamese leader To LamImage: Chalinee Thirasupa/Pool/AFP/Getty Images ADVERTISEMENT French President Emmanuel Macron has made Vietnam the first stop in his weeklong tour of Southeast Asia, as he seeks to reinforce the EU's strategic position in a region already caught up in the US-China rivalry. Meeting Vietnam's top leader To Lam on Monday, Macron was quick to capitalize on the insecurity created by US President Donald Trump's trade wars and Beijing's aggressive posturing in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. "With France, you have a familiar, safe, and reliable friend (...) and in the period we are living in, this alone has great value," Macron told To Lam, who serves as the secretary general of Vietnam's Communist Party. This is the first visit by a French president to Vietnam in nearly a decade.