The video shows an aircraft door opening with Macron appearing in the doorway.
Seconds later, both of Brigitte’s hands reach from the side and shoves the president’s face away.
Macron, 47, looks stunned and staggers slightly but quickly regains his composure and waves with a smile to the media outside.
When the couple make their way down from the aircraft, Macron offers the first lady his arm but Brigitte, 72, does not take it. Instead, she holds the railing.
The unexpected scene was caught as they arrived in Vietnam for the first leg of a south-east Asia tour.
The Élysée Palace quickly deescalated the incidence, describing it as a moment of closeness.
“It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the trip began, playfully teasing each other,” an Élysée Palace official said, refuting rumours of an argument between the couple who have been married since 2007.
“No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” the official said on Monday.
Macron arrived in Hanoi on Sunday evening to begin a week-long tour aimed at deepening economic and diplomatic ties, including engagements in Indonesia and Singapore.
