In Southeast Asia, providing long-term support to the circular economy, health and security

Through their strategic position, at the crossroads of the trade routes between East Asia and Africa/Europe, Southeast Asian countries are at the core of the challenges posed by security and trade flow management, along with a growing population subject to the effects of climate change and pandemics.
To provide an optimal response, Expertise France assists the governments of these countries through numerous reforms aimed at ensuring more sustainable, green and inclusive development, taking account of both economic and population growth and the   protection of populations and global public goods.

Expertise France is fully involved in supporting Team France and strengthening relations and cooperation between France and Vietnam, an important country in the Indo-Pacific strategy.

France was one of the first Western countries to support Vietnam’s reform policy. It has been assisting the development and opening up of this country for more than 30 years (previously through ADETEF - Assistance au Développement des Échanges en Technologies Économiques et Financières). Indeed, it supports the country’s development by deploying a high level of cooperation in numerous fields.

In the field of climate change, Expertise France plays a key role in the development of green finance and the establishment of a carbon market. Since June 2023, as part of the Green PFM project, it has been helping the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance develop tools to more effectively integrate environmental and climate objectives and issues into budgetary and fiscal policies.
Special attention is also given to circular economy projects by assisting with the implementation of Hanoi’s waste management strategy. The objective is to change consumption patterns, especially among young people, who are sensitive to climate issues and engaged in the transition. 
In addition to the Moov’Hanoi project, which aims to make public transport more attractive in Hanoi, an eight-year programme is also being developed to strengthen green transport services in Vietnam by improving nationwide low-carbon connectivity for people and goods. This involves developing resilient rail and waterway infrastructure and making urban mobility in large cities more accessible and sustainable.

At the request of its partners, Expertise France is now renewing its support through innovative projects. This is the case, for example, with the digital sector and the support for digital development with the D4D Hub (a multi-stakeholder forum will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on 21 October to promote Europe’s tech offer and strategic partnerships with Vietnam).

Health has historically been one of the agency’s main areas of support in Vietnam, with the ESTHER initiative as of 2003, then in 2015, L’Initiative, which is currently implementing five large-scale projects to support civil society organisations in the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The objective today is to improve the quality and safety of the hospital care available by strengthening Franco-Vietnamese hospital cooperation. This involves in-service training for Vietnamese medical students and health professionals and also sharing the experience of French academics, for example, from the Angers University Hospital Centre.

Laos, a key partner of Vietnam, aims to diversify its relations with the members of ASEAN, where it held the Presidency in 2024 on the theme of connectivity and resilience.

Expertise France’s activities in the country, with AFD financing, are as yet limited. However, it aims to diversify its action to facilitate coordination among stakeholders working on the issues of health, education and Francophonie. An expert will shortly be deployed to support dam and hydropower management on the Mekong River.

Several projects are currently being implemented in Laos to assist the country with its attractiveness policy. They focus on improving the legal framework and making it more transparent, with the aim of attracting more foreign investors. In terms of trade policies, a feasibility study has also been conducted on the rattan and bamboo sectors in the country. The objective is to improve the business environment for women by supporting a beneficial public-private dialogue.

In addition, Expertise France will be increasing its presence in Laos through the signing of an establishment agreement. It will also be diversifying its partnerships through European Union programming in the fields of education, food and nutritional security, and good governance.

Thailand, Bangkok in particular, is a major foothold for Expertise France in the Southeast Asia region. Indeed, there are several regional project management units in the country and several international technical experts (ITEs) are deployed to regional organisations, including ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) and the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Expertise France’s activities focus on health issues through the implementation of the projects of L’Initiative. For example, this is the case with the Migrant Fund (M-FUND), a low-cost, non-profit health insurance scheme for migrants in the Greater Mekong subregion, as well as screening for tuberculosis and access to treatment for marginalised population groups along the Thai-Myanmar border.

More recently, the “CapThai” operational research project has been launched, which aims to test new strategies for tuberculosis case finding, treatment and prevention, along with another project on sexual and reproductive health services in Thailand’s national primary healthcare system for marginalised population groups in Tak Province.

In Southeast Asia, multiple risks can affect partner countries off their coasts and in their coastal areas, due to intense maritime and port activity and the strategic geographical location of the region. Indeed, it is a hub for exchanges and trade, sometimes informal, and an area of piracy activities and illegal trafficking.

To address these issues, Expertise France is deploying several regional programmes, with EU financing, based on its expertise in tackling global threats.

In this respect, the ESIWA+ programme aims to foster dialogue with partner countries on security issues and promote greater convergence in the field of security. It also aims to strengthen the European Union’s international image as a guarantor of security in areas such as the fight against terrorism and prevention of violent extremism, the management of crises and hybrid threats, cybersecurity and maritime security. 

Vietnam and Thailand are also involved in enhancing maritime domain awareness through information sharing, capacity building and training in the Indian Ocean.   
In this respect, the CRIMARIO programme, whose 3^rd phase was launched in July 2025 for 30 months, contributes to ensuring that the maritime space is safer through enhanced inter-sectoral, inter-agency and inter-regional cooperation and the promotion of IORIS, a unique information sharing tool for operators in the maritime sector.

In addition, Expertise France is implementing the Global Ports Safety project until 2028. It focuses on maritime and port security to help enhance the safety of international trade through the management and prevention of port incidents, as well as the risks related to new maritime fuels and dangerous goods, in coastal ports along the China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.