Русский
Russia and Vietnam are commemorating their 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, in what has been a fascinating diplomatic relationship over the decades. To mark the occasion, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, wrote a specific article for the event. This is what he had to say:
“Russian-Vietnamese ties have a long history and long-standing traditions. January 30 marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. The anniversary date provides an opportune occasion to look back, to reflect on the outcomes, and to outline plans for the future.
As a Vietnamese proverb says, “Nothing can get in the way of a strong friendship, which flows endlessly like the Mekong River.” The worldly wisdom of these words can also be used to describe relations between peoples, such as the peoples of Russia and Vietnam. Indeed, these relations are time-tested and have been hardened during the years of heroic fight of the Vietnamese people against the French colonisers and American aggressors. We know and appreciate the fact that our friends in Vietnam remember the assistance provided by the Soviet Union during and after the war when the country needed to be rebuilt.
This year, Russia and the rest of the free world celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II and the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.
More than 20 foreign leaders will come to Moscow for the celebrations in May. We will be pleased to welcome General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Comrade To Lam. The 80th anniversary of declaration of Vietnam’s independence (September 2, 1945) and the 50th anniversary of liberation of the South (April 30, 1975) are important dates as well.
The unveiling of a monument to the first President of Vietnam, a great friend of our country, Ho Chi Minh, which took place in St Petersburg in 2023 and was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of his visit to that city, made vivid the great emphasis that we place on commemorating common history.
Last year, a sculpture dedicated to Vietnamese internationalist soldiers who took part in the 1941-1942 Battle of Moscow against Nazi invaders was installed in the Patriot Military Glory Park outside Moscow.
Relying on a solid historical foundation, relations between our countries are making great strides. In 2002, our leaders agreed to raise them to the level of strategic partnership, and in 2012 to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership. This advanced status means our ties are close across all areas of cooperation that is steeped in mutual trust.
An intensive political dialogue at the top and high levels promotes bilateral relations. Thus, the year 2024 witnessed a series of major bilateral events, including President Putin’s state visit to Vietnam, and his meeting with Prime Minister of the Government of the Vietnamese People’s Republic Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan. In turn, Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Thanh Man visited Russia. This year, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Hanoi, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son visited Moscow.
Our views on most international issues are close or overlap. Russia and Vietnam coordinate their steps at the UN and remain fully confident that all countries must consistently respect the principles of the UN Charter. Moscow and Hanoi share the World Majority’s focus on forming a multipolar world order that is based on cooperation and a balance of interests of all countries. We appreciate the balanced voice of Vietnam on multilateral platforms, such as the East Asia summits, the ASEAN Regional Security Forum, and the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum.
Moscow and Hanoi are firmly committed to establishing equal and indivisible security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region that matches modern realities and is based on universally recognised provisions of international law. In this regard, we are truly concerned by some countries attempting to form a network of restricted-format bloc alliances in the region.
I would like to thank our Vietnamese friends for their balanced approach to the Ukraine settlement. A durable solution to this issue cannot be achieved through reaching a ceasefire or suspending hostilities on the line of contact. To make peace last, the underlying causes of the conflict must be eradicated. First and foremost, it is imperative to eliminate threats to Russia’s security arising from NATO’s eastward expansion and attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO. It is no less important to ensure full respect for human rights in the territories controlled by the Kiev regime, which, since its violent power grab in 2014, has been pursuing a policy of extermination of everything that reminds Russia and the Russian world, including the Russian language, culture, traditions, canonical Orthodoxy, and Russian-language media.
Dynamically evolving practical cooperation forms the basis of Russian-Vietnamese relations. Despite the challenging international situation and headwinds in the form of anti-Russia sanctions levied by the United States and other unfriendly countries, mutual trade grew by 20.2% in 2024 and continues to steadily grow.
The consistent implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia is a member, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, signed in 2015, has largely made this possible. For our part, we have consistently advocated further strengthening of cooperation between the EAEU, ASEAN, the SCO, and other multilateral entities operating in Eurasia. We are convinced that combining efforts to integrate integrations will not only contribute to the formation of a Greater Eurasian Partnership (this initiative was put forward by President Putin back in 2015), but will also make it possible to move along the efforts to create a pan-continental Eurasian architecture of equal and indivisible security.
The key areas of the comprehensive strategic partnership include cooperation in the fuel and energy sector. The joint venture Vietsovpetro has acted as its flagship for over four decades now. The Russian company Zarubezhneft and the Petrovietnam Oil and Gas Corporation are successfully developing hydrocarbon fields in Vietnam, while Rusvietpetro Company operates in the Nenets Autonomous Area of the Russian Federation with the participation of both of the above companies. Russian Gazprom, the world’s leading operator in natural gas production, also works on the Vietnamese continental shelf.
We take pride in our joint endeavours in the manufacturing industry that boast ample use of advanced innovative technologies. Da Nang is home to a plant making Russian GAZ vehicles, some of which are exported to neighbouring countries. The Rosatom State Corporation is implementing a project in Vietnam to build a Nuclear Science and Technology Centre and is ready to step up and get involved in the construction of nuclear power plants, following the recent decision of the Vietnamese leadership to create nuclear energy as a separate branch of national economy.
The long-term activity of the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Centre, which conducts one-of-a-kind research in medicine, environmental science, and materials science, deserves high praise.
Along with mutually beneficial cooperation in research and technology, we are committed to continuing cooperation in education. Training Vietnamese students at Russian universities at the expense of the federal budget within a special quota set aside by the Government of the Russian Federation has a good track record. Each academic year, 1,000 Vietnamese students can take advantage of this opportunity. Joint efforts are underway to create the first Russian school in Hanoi. Vietnamese speaking Russian and Russians speaking Vietnamese are a driving engine bringing our peoples closer. We place great emphasis on cultural exchanges, because Russian music, cinema, and literature are popular in Vietnam, and Russians have always shown interest in a variety of Vietnamese original arts.
People-to-people contacts have always been of great help in promoting humanitarian contacts. Vietnam is famous for its hospitality. You always feel among friends in Vietnam. I had the chance to see it myself on many occasions. The resumption of direct air service has given a boost to tourist flows. In 2024, about 232,000 Russians visited Vietnam, almost 85 percent more compared to the year before that. The number of Vietnamese guests visiting our country is also on the rise, and we are happy to see the number of flights increase and their geography expand.
I’d be remiss not to mention the Russian regions’ sizable contribution to promoting bilateral relations. Moscow, St Petersburg, and the Kaluga and Ulyanovsk regions have particularly strong ties with the cities and provinces of Vietnam.
Our countries are facing new increasingly daunting goals that are set by life itself and the evolving international relations which open broad and bright prospects for equal and mutually beneficial partnership between Russia and Vietnam, among other countries, in the interests of joint creative efforts and progress. We feel confident and optimistic looking to the future. In conjunction with our Vietnamese friends, we will continue to work to reach the full potential of our comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of the peoples of our countries, and in order to strengthen the multipolar world, and to ensure the universal prosperity.”
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