A light-hearted moment between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, has stirred online curiosity after video footage appeared to show the First Lady shoving the President’s face as they arrived in Vietnam on Sunday.
The clip, filmed at the open doorway of the presidential aircraft, shows Macron, 47, standing and smiling when a hand—believed to be Brigitte’s—lightly pushes his face.
Macron momentarily pauses, then turns to wave to the crowd below, unfazed, before the couple descends together.
Social media lit up with speculation, but the Élysée Palace quickly played down the incident.
In a statement to Reuters, a palace official said the pair were “having a laugh” and called it a “moment of closeness” between the President and his wife.
Brigitte, 72, and Macron have been married since 2007 and are known for their visible public rapport, though the age-gap in their relationship has long attracted media attention.
Neither addressed the moment directly.
The episode came as Macron began his Southeast Asia tour, with Vietnam being his first stop. This is the first visit by a French president to the former French colony in nearly ten years.
While cameras were focused on the couple’s light moment, the visit itself carried weighty diplomatic purpose.
On Monday, France and Vietnam signed a major aviation deal for 20 Airbus aircraft, alongside agreements on defense and space cooperation.
The tour also comes amid escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and the European Union, after President Donald Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on EU goods by late July.
Despite the viral distraction, Macron’s Vietnam visit is being hailed as a boost to France’s influence in Asia—and a nod to its colonial past.
