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Macron meets Vietnam leaders on Monday in first visit to

Hanoi

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State visit comes amid growing trade tensions with

Washington

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Progress possible on Airbus planes, satellite, sources say

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Europeans worry Hanoi's flagged Boeing ( BA ) deals may impact

Airbus

By Francesco Guarascio and Phuong Nguyen

HANOI, May 26 (Reuters) - France and Vietnam are set to

sign dozens of deals on Monday when French President Emmanuel

Macron meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi as he seeks to increase

France's influence in the former colony, which faces threats of

high U.S. tariffs.

In his first formal visit to the country, and the first for

a French president in nearly a decade, Macron will be

accompanied by more than a dozen business executives, said an

official with knowledge of the matter, and is expected to

oversee the signing of possibly 30 agreements while trying to

boost cooperation in multiple sectors, including aviation,

nuclear energy, railways, renewables, research, satellites and

defence.

Macron's long-planned trip to Vietnam, the first leg of a

larger Southeast Asian tour including Indonesia and Singapore,

comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats on

Friday to impose 50% duties on EU goods from June, critically

escalating trade tensions with the 27-country bloc.

As export-dependent Vietnam is also under pressure from

Washington to buy more American goods to avoid 46% duties,

European officials before Macron's visit have told the country

to be careful in its concessions to the White House, two

officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions

told Reuters.

In talks with the United States, "Vietnam should make sure

not to make decisions at the expense of European interests," one

of the officials said, noting Vietnamese leaders had been told

this could jeopardise close relations with the EU, which has a

free trade deal with Vietnam and is a major buyer of its goods.

It is not clear whether Macron will emphasise that message

on Monday as that may depend on the deals France will strike.

AIRBUS

There could be progress on a deal between Vietnam's low-cost

airline VietJet and European planemaker Airbus

, two sources familiar with the discussions said. That

would follow a provisional agreement signed last year for the

delivery of 20 A330neo wide-body airliners.

"We don't comment on discussions we may or may not be having

with airlines," an Airbus spokesperson said.

Macron's Elysee presidential office had previously confirmed

dozens of deals were expected, but did not respond to a request

for comment on planes and Macron's messaging about U.S.

concessions.

Vietnam's foreign ministry and VietJet did not reply to

requests for comment.

Talks on satellites, including from Airbus, are also at an

advanced stage, officials have said.

Vietnam, whose economy is heavily dependent on exports to

the U.S., has made multiple pledges in trade talks with

Washington to avoid tariffs that could undermine its growth

model.

One frequently flagged offer has been the possible purchase

of at least 250 Boeing ( BA ) planes by flag carrier Vietnam

Airlines and rival VietJet, which Vietnamese and U.S.

officials have said would help reduce the country's huge trade

surplus with the U.S. and possibly appease Trump.

European officials are worried Airbus may lose out

from these possible deals, said three sources with knowledge of

the concerns.

The planemaker is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, with

its aircraft making up 86% of the planes currently operated by

Vietnamese airlines, according to data from Cirium, an aviation

analytics company.