Azerbaijan, renowned for its abundant natural oil and gas reserves and often referred to as the "land of fire," has played a pioneering role in the oil industry. This sector has been emblematic of the enduring solidarity and mutual support between Viet Nam and Azerbaijan.
In 1959, at the invitation of the Communist Party and Government of the former Soviet Union, President Ho Chi Minh visited several republics within the Soviet Union, including Azerbaijan.
During his visit to an offshore oil field near Baku, he expressed a keen interest in oil exploration, stating that Viet Nam, with its extensive coastline, was bound to have oil reserves. However, due to the ongoing war, exploration was not feasible at the time. He hoped that after Viet Nam's victory, Azerbaijani comrades would assist in discovering and developing Viet Nam's oil industry.
Fulfilling President Ho Chi Minh's vision, from the 1960s to the 1980s, thousands of Vietnamese students and engineers were trained at Azerbaijani oil and gas universities. These individuals became the backbone of Viet Nam's oil and gas sector, particularly during the early years of the General Department of Oil and Gas (established in 1975) and the Viet Nam–Soviet Petroleum Joint Venture (Vietsovpetro, established in 1981).
In those challenging early days, Azerbaijan contributed significantly to laying the foundation for Viet Nam's oil and gas industry by providing training, equipment, technology, and technical experts. This invaluable support played a crucial role in Viet Nam's industrialisation, modernisation, and the protection of its maritime sovereignty. The rich history of cooperation remains a shared pride and a sustainable value, forming a vital foundation for the continued development of Viet Nam–Azerbaijan relations.
During the visit, General Secretary To Lam and his delegation visited the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University and attended the inauguration of the "President Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Nam–Azerbaijan Oil and Gas Industry" memorial room. This institution has been instrumental in training multiple generations of Vietnamese oil and gas professionals and continues to be a leading university in the field, boasting reputable faculty and modern facilities. General Secretary To Lam emphasised that energy and oil and gas remain traditional and strategic areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Energy and oil and gas are traditional areas of cooperation and now serve as a strategic spearhead for both Viet Nam and Azerbaijan, said General Secretary To Lam.
Cooperation between Viet Nam's National Industry and Energy Group and Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (SOCAR) plays a pivotal role, yielding positive outcomes. Moving forward, both nations aim to build upon their strong foundation, enhancing the effectiveness of collaboration in this strategic sector, with a particular focus on human resource training in the oil and gas industry. The leadership of the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University is committed to providing high-quality education and research opportunities for Vietnamese students, aligning with the newly established Strategic Partnership.
With the elevation of bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and Azerbaijan are poised to deepen cooperation across all sectors, including education and training. Azerbaijani Ambassador to Viet Nam, Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade, highlighted education and oil and gas energy as two critical pillars of the traditional relationship. Azerbaijan sees significant potential for collaboration in training and scientific research in the oil and gas sector.
Viet Nam is emerging as a dynamic nation with a robustly developing economy. In this new context, Azerbaijan seeks to continue its cooperation and support, aiming to send talented young professionals to Viet Nam for education and skill development. Ambassador Mehdizade also noted that the current global challenge lies in developing green and renewable energy, underscoring the importance of General Secretary To Lam's visit and the bilateral agenda.
During the visit, General Secretary To Lam held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, expressing satisfaction with the significant achievements in bilateral relations over the past three decades. Political and diplomatic ties have been maintained and strengthened; energy cooperation has been promoted; and there is ample potential for further collaboration in defence, security, trade, investment, and education and training.
The adoption of the Joint Declaration on the establishment of a Strategic Partnership marks a historic milestone, laying the groundwork for robust and enhanced relations in the future. This partnership aims to leverage each country's strengths, propelling Viet Nam and Azerbaijan forward in the new era.
According to the joint declaration, both sides are committed to effectively implementing educational cooperation, considering scholarship programmes for each other's students based on demand and fields of study. They plan to promote comprehensive and continuous cooperation, establishing mechanisms for the exchange of experts, lecturers, and students, not only for academic purposes but also for training high-level professionals.
To actualise the Strategic Partnership, several ministries and agencies from both countries exchanged documents during the visit. Notably, Viet Nam's National Industry and Energy Group and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Economy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focusing on collaboration in oil and gas exploration, technical services, and training. Additionally, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Economy exchanged an MoU on the long-term supply of crude oil to Vietnam's Dung Quat Refinery, operated by Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company (BSR).
President Ilham Aliyev emphasised Azerbaijan's interest in cooperating with Vietnam in logistics, seaports, railways, aviation, and renewable energy, aiming to attract Vietnamese businesses to invest in Azerbaijan. He pledged to provide specific directives to promote relations across all sectors, particularly in economy, trade, and investment, and committed to facilitating Vietnamese enterprises operating in Azerbaijan.
To harness the untapped potential and navigate global challenges, General Secretary To Lam proposed solutions to foster substantive, effective, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. He highlighted the need to enhance the coordinating role of the Intergovernmental Committee on economic, trade, and scientific-technical cooperation, aiming to implement solutions that strengthen collaboration in new areas such as processing industries, mechanical engineering, and chemicals.
Both sides agreed to intensify energy and oil and gas cooperation, enhance information exchange, seek investment opportunities, train human resources, and explore possibilities in clean and renewable energy. Enterprises from both countries are encouraged to increase information exchange, connect businesses, and promote investment in each other's markets. Efforts will also focus on promoting agricultural investment and expediting agreements on investment encouragement and protection, leveraging strengths in maritime and railway transportation, and enhancing local-level cooperation.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to the Russian Federation and concurrently to Azerbaijan, Dang Minh Khoi, General Secretary To Lam's visit is the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese Party and State leader to Azerbaijan since the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This visit is expected to further enhance the effectiveness of bilateral ties, particularly in sectors where Azerbaijan has strengths, such as oil and gas and various other industries. In recent years, Azerbaijan has adopted a highly open approach and can be seen as an excellent “gateway” for Viet Nam to further expand its relations with Central Asian countries as well as those in the European region.
Over the course of their cooperation, both Viet Nam and Azerbaijan have consistently agreed in their discussions to further strengthen collaboration in the oil and gas sector, viewing it as a strategic, long-term priority. Currently, Viet Nam has a strong demand for high-quality human resources in the fields of engineering and technology. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani universities have considerable strengths in training related to mechanical engineering, oil and gas, construction, and other industrial fields. The two sides have shown mutual interest in enhancing cooperation between their higher education institutions, including student exchange programmes.
In addition to traditional oil and gas cooperation, other sectors such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, processing industries, and clean energy technologies are expected to become new engines of growth, helping to accelerate the realisation of each country’s development goals.
