STRENTHENING THE VIET NAM – RUSSIA COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN THE NEW ERA

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, General Secretary and President To Lam, together with his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, is paying a state visit to the Russian Federation.

As the first state visit to Russia by a Vietnamese Party and State leader since 1991 and coming after the success of the 14th National Party Congress and the completion of leadership appointments following the election of the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term, the visit holds particular historic significance for Viet Nam-Russia relations.

It reaffirms Viet Nam’s commitment to further strengthening its time-honoured friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia in the new era of development.

The state visit to Russia by General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse is expected to mark a new milestone and bring about a strategic shift in bilateral cooperation, further deepening strategic trust and the special, steadfast friendship between Viet Nam and Russia.

It is also expected to promote cooperation between the two countries in areas such as science and technology, training, energy, oil and gas, culture, tourism and cooperation between localities. The visit will also help strengthen ties between General Secretary and President To Lam and Russian leaders.

Viet Nam-Russia friendship: More than 75 years of development together

Relations between Viet Nam and Russia span more than 75 years, since the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1950. The relationship has been nurtured and has achieved growing success on the foundation of comradeship, as well as the selfless and sincere support and solidarity shared between the two peoples over the years.

The Vietnamese people will never forget the invaluable and wholehearted assistance provided by the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia to Viet Nam’s struggle for national independence and its national construction and development.

Building on their traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and Russia seek to make full use of each other’s strengths to support each country’s new phase of development. Russia regards Viet Nam as an important partner in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The two sides have regularly exchanged delegations and maintained contact at all levels and through various channels, while also coordinating and supporting each other on international issues. On May 10, 2025, the two sides adopted a joint statement on major orientations for the Viet Nam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the new period of cooperation.

Viet Nam-Russia political relations enjoy a high level of trust and continue to be consolidated. High-level delegation exchanges take place regularly, creating strong momentum for the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The two countries also regularly exchange delegations at the levels of deputy prime minister, vice presdient of the National Assembly, minister, and local leaders.

The close sentiments between the two countries stem not only from their support and close cooperation in politics, economics, and many other fields but also from the spiritual affinity between their peoples. Generations of Vietnamese students who studied in Russia have always held a special and deep affection for the country. Many literary works by great names from the Land of the Birch Trees have become familiar to Vietnamese people.

Regarding Russia, based on the foundation of the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership built and nurtured over the past more than 75 years, the visit is expected to further consolidate political trust and enhance the role of head-of-state diplomacy through the regular maintenance of contacts between the top leaders of the two countries; improve the effectiveness of cooperation through party, state, government, and national assembly channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges; and promote the effective operation of the Inter-Governmental Committee and the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee mechanisms.

Broad prospects for cooperation

In recent times, the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and the Russian Federation have recorded positive achievements. According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, Viet Nam and the Russian Federation enjoy a traditional friendship that has been painstakingly nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries over more than 75 years. Relations between the two countries are marked by a very high level of political trust and a broad social foundation, forged through time and the upheavals of history. In recent times, the Viet Nam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has continued to develop dynamically and achieved many highly positive results.

This state visit is a vivid testament to the resilience of the Viet Nam–Russia relationship, which has endured despite rapid changes in the world.

The two countries maintain the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade and Scientific–Technical Cooperation, established in 1992 and elevated to Deputy Prime Minister level in 2011. The Committee meets annually, with its 25th session held in Russia in September 2024. Viet Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia is a member, officially signed the Free Trade Agreement on May 29, 2015, which came into effect on October 5, 2016.

Bilateral trade turnover in the first seven months of 2026 reached 3.24 billion USD, representing a 12% year-on-year increase. Viet Nam’s principal exports to Russia include electronics, garments, footwear, and agricultural and seafood products. Imports from Russia consist of coal, wheat, steel, fertilisers, automobiles, and machinery.

In terms of investment, as of July 2026, Russia has 223 investment projects in Viet Nam with total registered capital of approximately 996.4 million USD, ranking 28th among countries and territories investing in Viet Nam. Meanwhile, Viet Nam has 19 active investment projects in Russia with registered capital amounting to 1.64 billion USD, placing it 4th out of 88 countries and territories in which Viet Nam invests. These include the Rusvietpetro oil and gas joint venture and TH Group’s dairy cattle farming and agricultural project.

The two sides coordinate closely at multilateral forums and international organisations. Russia supports Viet Nam’s stance on resolving disputes in the East Sea/South China Sea through peaceful means, without the use or threat to use force, and based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), while encouraging the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Cultural exchange activities between the two countries are regularly organised, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Vietnamese and Russian peoples. The two sides annually organise and alternate the Days of Culture in Viet Nam and Russia.

Tourism has strongly recovered. In the first six months of 2026, Viet Nam welcomed 742,000 Russian visitors, 2.8 times higher than the figure recorded in the same period of 2025. Vietnamese and Russian airlines have resumed direct flights between cities in the two countries.

Regarding cooperation in education and training, the Soviet Union previously helped Viet Nam train nearly 40,000 highly qualified officials and specialists in various fields. Since 2019, Russia has increased the number of scholarships to around 1,000 per academic year. There are currently more than 3,000 Vietnamese students studying in Russia.

The two countries are paying attention to promoting cooperation in science and technology. The two sides have carried out research projects and technology transfers. Scientific research cooperation within the framework of the Viet Nam-Russia Tropical Centre has produced many positive results. The two sides are implementing the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Centre project and organising activities within the framework of the 2026 Cross-Year of Cooperation in Science and Education.

Local-level cooperation continues to be maintained through delegation exchanges and the signing of numerous cooperation agreements. Around 20 pairs of relations between localities of the two countries have been established, particularly between Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

The Vietnamese community in Russia, numbering nearly 80,000 people, has made and continues to make significant contributions to the development of the two countries and bilateral relations, and has always taken the lead in charitable activities.

 According to Vietnamese Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dang Minh Khoi, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, Viet Nam-Russia cooperation has made strong progress in recent years. Political trust has continued to be strengthened, while exchanges of delegations, meetings, and dialogues at all levels, particularly at the high level, have been held regularly. Bilateral trade is regaining positive growth momentum. Energy, and oil and gas cooperation has been expanded. Tourism cooperation has recovered strongly, with remarkable growth over the past two years. Cultural cooperation has made breakthroughs. Education and training cooperation has produced many practical results, with many Vietnamese students choosing the Russian Federation as a preferred destination for study abroad. The Ambassador said that while these achievements are encouraging, there remains considerable potential for cooperation between the two countries. In this context, the state visit by General Secretary and President To Lam to the Russian Federation is an excellent opportunity for the highest-level leaders of the two countries to exchange views on major directions for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The visit reaffirms the consistency, continuity and high importance that the Party and State of Viet Nam attach to traditional friendship and the comprehensive strategic partnership with the Russian Federation. The visit also clearly demonstrates Viet Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as the diversification and multilateralisation of its external relations. At the same time, Viet Nam seeks to make effective use of appropriate resources in energy, science and technology, human resource training, and infrastructure development, in implementing Politburo resolutions to promote the country's rapid and sustainable development.

The visit also provides an opportunity for the highest-level leaders of the two countries to engage in extensive discussions on strategic issues, establish a long-term vision and create a new milestone and fresh political momentum to comprehensively elevate Viet Nam-Russia relations, linking bilateral cooperation with each country's development goals in the new period.