Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse at Kremlin

The solemn welcoming ceremony for Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his wife was held at St. George's Hall inside the Grand Kremlin Palace, where formal welcoming ceremonies for foreign heads of state visiting Russia are held.

As the motorcade carrying Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his wife entered the Kremlin complex, the Kremlin Commandant and the Head of Protocol of the Presidential Office welcomed the top Vietnamese leader and his wife at the drop-off point.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse entered St. George's Hall. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the hall, and the two leaders met on the red carpet in the center of the hall, where the Vietnamese and Russian national flags were prominently displayed.

The military band played the national anthems of the two countries in turn. After the anthems ended, the two leaders took turns introducing the officials from their respective countries attending the welcoming ceremony.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and President Putin then held a restricted meeting, jointly witnessed online the inauguration of a laboratory at the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, and led the two countries' delegations into talks.

This is the first state visit to Russia by a head of Vietnam's Party and state since 1991. The visit lasts from Monday to Wednesday.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and President Putin have met in person several times in recent years.

During the Russian leader's visit to Vietnam in June 2024, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, then serving as state president, hosted the welcoming ceremony and held talks with him.

In May 2025, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, then serving as Party general secretary, and his spouse paid an official visit to Russia and attended celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The two leaders have also maintained phone conversations and exchanged letters and congratulatory messages on important anniversaries of the two countries.

Notably, immediately after the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Putin became the first foreign head of state to hold a phone conversation with Party General Secretary and State President To Lam.

The state visit by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam to Russia carries great symbolic significance, conveying a message affirming the consistency, continuity, and high importance that Vietnam's Party and state attach to Vietnam-Russia relations.

At the same time, it is also clear evidence of Vietnam's independent, self-reliant, and resilient foreign policy.

The visit is expected to further consolidate the foundation of political trust and strengthen the role of head-of-state diplomacy by maintaining regular contact between the top leaders of the two countries.

At the same time, it is expected to create a breakthrough in traditional pillars of cooperation, first and foremost oil and gas and energy, including nuclear power. It is also expected to make economic, trade and investment cooperation, infrastructure connectivity, and infrastructure development new drivers of bilateral ties.