The French president arrived in Hanoi late Sunday, the first stop of a six-day trip that will also take in Indonesia and Singapore.

After paying tribute at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, Macron has a day of talks ahead.

The president will meet his counterpart Luong Cuong before lunch with Communist Party General Secretary To Lam at the capital's star attraction, the Temple of Literature.

Lam is considered the most powerful leader in Vietnam, a one-party state which tolerates no dissent and moves quickly to suppress any criticism.

Ahead of Macron's first official visit to the country, Human Rights Watch pressed him to voice concerns about "the Vietnamese government's worsening rights record".

Vietnam has more than 170 political prisoners who have been charged and convicted under "draconian laws" that criminalise free expression and peaceful activism for human rights and democracy, HRW said.

A public appeal would be out of character for the French president, who regularly says he prefers to raise sensitive issues behind closed doors. 

Vietnam on 'front line' 

Macron will focus attention on strengthening "cooperation in strategic sectors such as energy, transport and defence" while in Hanoi, according to an aide.

The French president also hopes to sell to Hanoi his offer of a "third way" between Washington and Beijing.

"Vietnam is really on the front line of all the tensions that are growing in the South China Sea," a senior French diplomatic official told AFP.

Hanoi shares Washington's concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea, but it also has close economic ties with China.

Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 percent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz.

Macron's "Indo-Pacific strategy" -- which proposes a third way to the countries of the region -- has regained relevance due to Trump's trade war, according to the aide.

He said the president is "defending the idea of international trade rules, we don't want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails".

Vietnam has been careful to follow its own balancing act between China and the United States. It has adopted a "bamboo diplomacy" approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers.