Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte made headlines the moment they touched down in Vietnam. As the plane door opened, cameras caught a moment that quickly set the internet on fire.
Brigitte appeared to shove her husband’s face with both hands. Macron looked a bit shocked but then brushed it off and waved to the crowd waiting outside.
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The viral moment was caught on camera
The clip, filmed by the Associated Press in Hanoi, showed the door opening and Brigitte’s arms reaching out to push Macron’s face.
She wasn’t visible in the video, just her hands, but Macron’s surprised reaction and the strange timing of it all caught attention.
Macron’s team first denied it happened
At first, Macron’s office tried to brush it off, even denying the video was real.
But soon after, they confirmed the clip was authentic. A close aide called it a harmless moment between husband and wife.
Officials say it was just a playful moment
One Elysee official said, “It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh.”
Another added, “It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists.”
Social media went wild over the video
The clip spread fast, especially among Macron critics.
It stirred up some bizarre online theories, mostly pushed by pro-Russian accounts.
Macron said this wasn’t the first time videos of him had been twisted. He slammed the people sharing those clips as “crackpots.”
There was a similar fake video recently
Earlier this month, another wild rumour hit the internet, claiming Macron had hidden a bag of cocaine in a photo with Keir Starmer and Germany’s Friedrich Merz.
The French government quickly shut it down, saying the white object was just a tissue.
The Vietnam trip has major political goals
Macron’s visit is the first by a French president to Vietnam in nearly ten years.
France is hoping to boost its influence in its former colony and push back against growing pressure from both the US and China.
Macron signed deals and met key leaders
While in Hanoi, Macron signed over a dozen agreements in areas like defense, nuclear energy, and trade.
He also met Vietnam’s president Luong Cuong and Communist Party general secretary To Lam.
Vietnam is trying to balance its global trade ties
The country relies heavily on exports and has made trade moves toward the US. That’s raised concerns in Europe about being left out.
Trump had recently threatened to hike tariffs on the EU, so Vietnam’s shift added tension to the bigger picture.
Macron is pushing for international cooperation
During the trip, Macron made a big point about keeping global order based on rules and laws.
He visited war memorials and historic landmarks, like the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, and talked about France’s role in helping Vietnam with clean energy, high-speed rail, and more.
He also mentioned France’s commitment to defending maritime law, especially in the South China Sea.
France is offering support in big development sectors
Macron said France wants to help Vietnam move away from coal and build more renewable and nuclear energy capacity.
France also sees its partnership with Vietnam as a key part of its strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.
This trip marks Macron’s first visit to Vietnam since taking office in 2017.
