Russia to deepen all-round ties with Vietnam, explore new cooperation areas: President Putin

He made the remarks during talks in Moscow with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who paid an official visit to Russia from March 22 to 25 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin.

President Putin said PM Chinh’s visit, the first by a senior Vietnamese leader since Vietnam’s 14th National Party Congress in January, is crucial for maintaining and enhancing bilateral ties.

He praised Chinh for his contributions to the Vietnam-Russia relationship, describing him as a close friend of Russia and a trusted comrade.

Putin also called Vietnam a sincere friend and an important partner in the Asia-Pacific, insisting on the value of further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

He said Russia is ready to expand cooperation in all traditional sectors, including trade and investment, while exploring emerging areas that align with Vietnam’s development priorities and Russia’s strengths, such as new energy, green transition, digital transformation, health care, and high-quality workforce training.

The leaders agreed to maintain and expand existing cooperation frameworks and explore new mechanisms to strengthen collaboration.

Regarding trade, they committed to promoting business connectivity, diversifying markets and supply chains, and removing barriers related to institutions, payments, and transport, with a view to boosting bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner.

They also identified energy, oil and gas, science and technology, innovation, and infrastructure development as priority areas for future cooperation.

Regarding the recently signed intergovernmental agreement to build the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant in Khanh Hoa Province, Putin pledged to direct the Russian government to accelerate the project, depicting it as a new symbol of Vietnam–Russia friendship.

PM Chinh expressed his gratitude to the former Soviet Union and Russia for their steadfast support for Vietnam, both during its struggle for independence and reunification and in its ongoing efforts in national construction and development.

He praised President Putin as a key contributor to the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Russia, emphasizing that Vietnam continues to value the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

Chinh said Vietnam aims to deepen bilateral ties, leverage mutual strengths, and promote cooperation based on equality and shared benefit.

He proposed building on the experience of the Vietnam–Russia Tropical Center to strengthen collaboration in fundamental science, emerging and high technologies, biomedicine, and aerospace.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of military-technical, security, and science and technology cooperation.

The two sides discussed facilitating travel and increasing scholarships for Vietnamese students studying in Russia.

Putin noted that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would consider visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens.

The leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, reaffirming close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and ASEAN.

On behalf of Vietnam’s Party and state leaders, PM Chinh invited President Putin to visit Vietnam at a convenient time, and the Russian leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.