Emmanuel Macron 'pushed in the face by his wife' after touching down in Vietnam

French President Emmanuel Macron has landed in Vietnam for the start of his Southeast Asia tour – but a ‘squabble’ on the plane has taken attention away from his diplomatic mission.

Shortly after the aeroplane doors were opened,Macron appeared to speak to his wife,who was standing near the cockpit entrance.

Suddenly,his wife Brigitte’s hand reached out and appeared to smack the French president’s mouth.

The moment has since gone viral,but those who work closely with the couple clarified: ‘It was a moment for the President and his wife to unwind one last time before the start of the trip by having a little fun.

‘It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,’ they added.

Shortly after the ‘slap’,Macron looked to the cameras,waving and smiling. But the incident has been condemned online,and body language expert Judi James told Metro the exchange was ‘unthinkable’.

Brigitte’s hand appeared to hit Macron in the face (Picture: Grab)

The duo were seen walking down the plane stairs shortly after (Picture: Grab)

The Elysee initially denied the video,claiming it was fake,but later said it was legitimate.

Judi James said: ‘You do not push your partner in the face so hard with your hands,literally touching their face and nose so hard that their head wheels away from you.

‘That wouldn’t be a fun gesture in anyone’s books. If she’d been standing where he was and his hand had come out and done that to her,the word fun wouldn’t remotely apply.

‘I don’t see any giggling or any other signs of what would be called play fighting being exchanged. He had to literally get his balance back,’ she added.

After the exchange,Ms James noted that the pair had ‘no physical touch’ while walking down the stairs,and Brigitte had her face hidden by her hair.

‘Could you imagine if Trump had stood in the door of that plane and Melania’s hand came out and pushed his face that hard? It would have been unthinkable.

‘This needs to be taken seriously,but I would imagine that he’ll go to every length to cover it up,but it’s not a very good indication of what goes on behind the scenes,’ she said.

The future politician was just 15 when he began a relationship with the then-married mother-of-three Brigitte,who was 40 at the time,and teaching drama at La Providence high school in Amiens,northern France.

Macron will stay in Vietnam for a few days,hoping to sign multiple deals to increase French influence in the former colony.