Русский
Russia’s state-owned Agroexport Federal Center and the FESCO Transportation Group are working together to promote the establishment of direct contacts between Russian agricultural product exporters and Vietnamese partners, as well as the growth of Russian agricultural exports to the Vietnamese market.
Following meetings at the Vietfood & Beverage 2025 exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, Ilya Ilyushin of Agroexport said that “We have agreed to work out in detail the needs of Russian exporters for the transportation of food products to Vietnam, as well as to assist Russian exporters and Vietnamese importers in establishing direct contacts.”
The parties discussed opportunities to increase the flow of goods between Russia and Vietnam, including frozen products and products in consumer packaging, existing container shipping routes, and services that FESCO can offer Russian exporters.
The current Russian export base to Vietnam consists mainly of pork and wheat, Ilyushin said. “However, we are ready to expand the portfolio with confectionery, sunflower oil, pulses, molasses, vegetable meals and oilcakes, beverages, and many other products,” he said. Ensuring uninterrupted regular supplies and clear pricing tools is especially important for developing the project to expand the presence of Russian products in Vietnamese retail, Ilyushin said. He recalled the initiative of Vietnam’s Masan Group and Russia’s Magnit to organize corners of Russian products under the Soul of Russia brand.
Nguyen Hoang Linh, the deputy CEO of DBF Logistic Vietnam (a FESCO subsidiary in Vietnam), said that the group is able to deliver both packaged products and bulk or liquid cargoes in containers. One of the routes connects the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port (part of FESCO) with Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong. “The delivery time from Haiphong to Vladivostok is only about nine days. From Ho Chi Minh City, it’s 11 days. We are therefore among the fastest in the market for cargo delivery to Vladivostok and back,” he said. Another route is shipments from Vietnam to St. Petersburg with a transit time of around 35 days.
The prospects for developing cold chain product deliveries were discussed with the head of the export-import sales division of Dalreftrans (part of FESCO) Makar Varfolomeyev. The company transports meat, fish and other cargoes requiring special temperature conditions, Varfolomeyev said. Dalreftrans operates the largest fleet of refrigerated containers in Russia, as well as its own rolling stock.
Russia supplied Vietnam with agricultural products worth US$200 million in 7M 2025, up 30% compared to last year. Russia and Vietnam have a free trade agreement via the Eurasian Economic Union, while Vietnam is also a BRICS partner state. In 2024, total bilateral trade reached about US$4.59 billion, a 26.4% increase compared to the previous year, according to the Vietnam Economic Times. Vietnam’s exports to Russia were US$2.34 billion, up 34.5%, while imports were US$2.25 billion, up 19%.
Vietnam remains one of the largest buyers of Russian weapons (about 70% of the country’s weapons come from Russia). The Russian Federation supplies the Vietnamese army with Su-30MK2 and Su-27SK multi-role fighters, missiles, Varshavianka-class submarines, and other equipment for rearmament. Vietnamese military specialists are trained at the General Staff Academy, Pacific Fleet ships call at Vietnamese ports for mooring and rest, and joint maneuvers are conducted. Vietnam is interested in developing cooperation with Russia in the aviation sector, shipbuilding, and strengthening its naval forces.
The Russian tourism flow to Vietnam is also increasing. Based on an analysis of statistics from the Russian Federal Security Service’s Border Guard Service and national statistics from various countries, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that Russian tourist traffic to Vietnam increased 2.4 times in the first half of 2025. The growth in tourist traffic is also facilitated by visa-free entry to Vietnam for 45 days. The visa-free regime for tourists from 12 countries, including Russia, ended in March 2025, but the country’s authorities announced an extension of the measure for three years, until March 2028.
Further Reading
Russia’s FESCO Establishes Direct Rail Freight Service From Vietnam To Moscow
