Vietnam’s private carrier VietJet Air has signed a deal to buy another 20 Airbus wide-body aircraft, doubling its booking for A330neo planes to 40.

Wouter van Wersch, executive vice president, international, of the France-based aircraft maker, signed the agreement with VietJet chairwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao in Hanoi on May 26. It was witnessed by visiting French President Emmanuel Macron and his Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong.

Prior to the latest agreement, the Vietnamese low-cost carrier had already made purchase orders for 96 single-aisle A320neo aircraft.

VietJet is currently operating an all-Airbus fleet of 115 planes, comprising 108 A320 aircraft and seven A330-300 aircraft.

French President Emmanuel Macron ( extreme left ) and his Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong ( extreme right ) at the signing ceremony between VietJet and Airbus. ( VietJet )

Vietnam Airlines, the flag carrier, is also a major client of Airbus. The European aircraft maker is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, contributing up to 86% of the nation’s fleet, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is also poised to buy more Boeing aircraft. Along with the purchase, Hanoi is importing more liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) and agricultural products from the United States to deal with US President Donald Trump’s trade policy. In early April, Trump announced 46% tariffs on Vietnamese imports, which he later suspended for 90 days.

Deeper cooperation

Macron landed in Hanoi on the night of May 25 for his first formal visit to the Southeast Asian nation to promote bilateral trade ties.

In addition to the Airbus deal, the French president and his Vietnamese counterpart also witnessed the signing of agreements for cooperation on nuclear energy, railways, Earth-observation satellites, and Sanofi vaccines.

Under its deal, Sanofi will transfer vaccine manufacturing technology to Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company.

Another agreement was signed between Airbus Defence and CNES – the French national space agency – and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology on Earth-observation satellites.

French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM also signed a deal with Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigon New Port Company to jointly operate a port in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam.

AFD, the French agency for development, also inked an agreement with state utility Vietnam Electricity Group, or EVN, to continue to fund an electricity transmission network in southern Vietnam. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Macron was due to leave Vietnam on May 27 for Indonesia, followed by his stop in Singapore, where he will address the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's largest forum on security and defence, on May 30.