President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam (retranslated): President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, guests, correspondents and journalists.
On behalf of the party, the Vietnamese state and its people, I would like to offer myheartfelt greetings and welcome President Vladimir Putin with the delegation of high-ranking officials from the Russian Federation to Vietnam.
We are delighted to host your state visit to Vietnam which is taking place at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. This visit is particularly important as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Principles of Friendly Relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. Preparations for marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between our countries next year are advancing at full speed.
Our countries share traditional bonds of friendship and have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership. We have always been keen to express our deep gratitude for the assistance and support we received from the Russian people in the past, when we were fighting for our independence, as well as at the current stage in the development of our country.
Vietnam follows an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly and multifaceted foreign policy, and has always viewed Russia as one of its priority foreign policy partners. We want to work with Russia to further enhance our traditional friendship which results from the constructive efforts by many generations of our two countries’ leaders and their people.
President Vladimir Putin and I have held talks that were quite a success. We exchanged views in an open and sincere manner on the cooperation between our countries in multiple aspects and also discussed international and regional matters of mutual interest for developing our two countries, as well as promoting peace, cooperation and development across the region. This was the spirit that guided our efforts to agree on the main vectors and principles for further reinforcing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.
We also agreed to step up our cooperation based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs. Guided by the core principles of the UN Charter, we will not join any unions or sign treaties with any third countries which could be detrimental to our respective independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will not target any third countries either. Our mission is to promote regional and global peace and cooperation.
Regarding political relations, we agreed to step up our regular contacts and reinforce our political trust. We will step up our contacts at the party level, between our states, governments, parliaments, as well as between our ministries and agencies, while also promoting youth contacts.
Economic cooperation is one of the main pillars of our comprehensive strategic partnership. We agreed on the need to make full use of the Vietnam-EAEU Free Trade Agreement.
We also agreed to work together to overcome the challenges stemming from the international environment. We will expand our trade and bilateral investment, achieve better performance when undertaking cooperation projects in energy and gas in order to create a favourable environment for our businesses and enable them to work together in keeping with international law, including the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.
We also agreed to explore opportunities for stepping up our cooperation on new energy sources and clean energy, as well as facilitate the green transition and sustainable development. We will also step up our cooperation in the defence and security sectors in order to combine our efforts in countering new and traditional threats to peace in keeping with international law.
We agreed to expand our cooperation in education, research, technology, innovation and vocational training. By the same token, we are committed to having more cooperation in culture, arts, tourism, facilitating people-to-people ties and youth contacts in order to reinforce our mutual trust and friendship. We also agreed to create a favourable environment for the people of Vietnam in Russia and for Russians in Vietnam so that they benefit from stable and comfortable working and living conditions and build a genuine bridge of friendship between our two countries.
As for international and regional matters, we advocate a democratic and transparent world order with the UN Charter serving as its foundation, including the principle of non-use of force and the threat of force and resolving disputes by peaceful means. We also stand for building an inclusive and open trade system with the WTO at its core. We also stand for equal and indivisible security cooperation architecture in the Asia-Pacific Region with ASEAN playing a central role in it, and rooted in international law. We will promote international integration, including within APEC, the G20, the ASEAN Dialogue and the EAEU. We also welcome Russia's cooperation with the Greater Mekong Subregion, which contributes to peace, stability and prosperity.
As for the East Sea (South China Sea), we stand for ensuring the freedom and safety of navigation and air traffic, for resolving all disputes by peaceful means, and against using force or the threat of force. We also advocate carrying out the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties and for adopting a Code of Conduct without delay, in a substantive and effective manner and in keeping with international law.
Comrade President Vladimir Putin, journalists.
Today, we will be adopting a Joint Statement on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the ministries and agencies of our countries. We also signed many cooperation agreements in education, research, justice and sports. This will help us develop the legal framework for stepping up our practical and fruitful ties.
I am certain that our relations will grow even stronger considering the success of President Putin's visit to Vietnam, as well as the commitment by the leaders and the people of our countries, their ministries and agencies to delivering on this vision.
I will now pass the floor to President Putin.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade To Lam! Friends, ladies and gentlemen.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, to you, Comrade To Lam, as well as to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, and to all our Vietnamese friends for organising our state visit, for your hospitality, for the warm and cordial welcome we have received. When I say warm, I mean not only the weather outside but also the friendly and genial welcome that the Russian delegation has been given by the people of Hanoi. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincerest greetings and best wishes to them.
I would like to say that Russia places great emphasis on further strengthening the Russian-Vietnamese comprehensive, longstanding and friendly relations, our strategic partnership. Our ties continue to expand and progress in the spirit of equality, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests.
Our countries are linked by a strong bond of shared history. Next year will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and Vietnam. As is widely known, the Soviet Union did a lot to support the young Vietnamese statehood, assisting in the development of economic facilities and infrastructure, helping Vietnam with personnel training and improving the country’s defence capabilities.
Also, a few days ago, it was 30 years since the signing of the Treaty on Foundations of Friendly Relations between the two countries. This underlying document opened up vast opportunities to strengthen and develop the whole range of bilateral ties, giving them a powerful impetus and increasing their dynamics. And today, Comrade President and I have adopted a statement that supports the principles of the Russian-Vietnamese comprehensive strategic partnership and announces new guidelines for our joint work in the future.
I fully agree that the talks that just ended were held in a constructive and businesslike atmosphere. We have had an extensive discussion on the key areas of bilateral cooperation, and touched upon the most pressing international and regional issues.
Naturally, we dedicated considerable time to discussing mutual trade and investment. Last year, bilateral trade increased by 8 percent. The upward trend continued in the first quarter of this year, with Russian-Vietnamese trade growing by more than a third compared to the same period in 2023.
In this context, I would like to mention the tangible benefits our friends have derived from the Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. Enacted in 2016, it has since then vastly promoted growth in Russian-Vietnamese trade through favourable conditions for access of goods and services to each other’s markets, also fostering investment, technology exchange and innovation.
Equally important is that our countries are consistently pursuing the transition to settlements in national currencies and striving to create sustainable channels of cooperation in lending activities and banking. Last year, transactions in Russian rubles and Vietnamese dong accounted for over 40 percent of bilateral trade volume, and in the first quarter of this year, this figure rose to nearly 60 percent.
The joint Vietnamese-Russian Bank plays a crucial role in servicing foreign trade transactions between our countries, successfully operating in the Vietnamese market for nearly 20 years. The bank shows positive growth in its key indicators, consistently offering a broad array of financial and credit services to clients from both Vietnam and Russia.
The strategic point of our bilateral cooperation is the energy sector. Over the decades, the Vietsovpetro joint venture has extracted approximately 250 million tonnes of oil from oil and gas fields in Vietnam. Simultaneously, the Petrovietnam Corporation has been operating in the Nenets Autonomous Area of Russia since 2008, braving the challenging conditions of the Far North to extract around 35 million tonnes of oil.
A Russian-Vietnamese enterprise currently produces gas motor fuel in Vietnam. Additionally, Russian companies are prepared to participate as investors and suppliers in large-scale projects utilising liquefied natural gas.
Russia and Vietnam have excellent opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy. Vietnam’s master plan for developing the nation’s energy grid already includes a joint Russia-Vietnam project for the construction of offshore wind power generation facilities in the province of Binh Thuan with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts.
I want to note that Russian specialists contributed to the design and construction of energy facilities in Vietnam, which collectively generate more than a third of the country’s current hydropower capacity. Our company, RusHydro, plans to participate in the renovation of hydroelectric power plants along Vietnamese rivers to increase their efficiency.
Another promising area for expanding bilateral cooperation is nuclear energy. Discussions include plans for Rosatom to construct a centre for nuclear science and technology in Vietnam, along with the training of Vietnamese nuclear specialists at specialised universities in Russia.
Cooperation in the industrial sector is making strides. In Da Nang, a joint Russian-Vietnamese enterprise is involved in assembling Gazel cargo and passenger minibuses. Last year, this facility assembled 1,150 units of equipment, including buses and vans, some of which were exported to Laos and the Philippines.
We consider our cooperation on the Vladivostok – Ho Chi Minh City maritime transport corridor, a large-scale infrastructure project, to be highly promising. Since its opening in 2022, this corridor has facilitated regular cargo shipments with container ships operating on a weekly basis.
Our bilateral partnership in agriculture is progressing: mutual supplies of agricultural products are growing, and their range is expanding. Vietnam’s TH Group is building milk processing plants in several Russian regions, including the Kaluga Region and Primorye Territory. The first stage of a cattle-breeding complex for 6,000 dairy cattle began operation in the Moscow Region last year.
Russia-Vietnam cooperation in culture and education is vibrant and strong. Over the past decades, tens of thousands of Vietnamese professionals have received training or upgraded their skills in Russia. Several thousand have earned academic degrees.
Currently, more than 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from Vietnam are studying in Russian universities. Speaking of academic exchanges, I must mention the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Centre in Vietnam, where Russian and Vietnamese specialists have been successfully conducting joint research for years. The centre’s projects span highly important areas, such as ecology and nature protection, medicine, combating infectious diseases and epidemics.
It has become a good tradition to hold cross culture days on a regular basis. These events help Russians and Vietnamese to learn more about each other’s history, customs and everyday life. The next Vietnam Culture Days in Russia will be held soon, between July 1 and 7, in Moscow and St Petersburg. Russian and Vietnamese film weeks, art exhibitions, photo displays, music and dance performances have been highly successful in both countries.
Tourism is also on the rise. Many Russians visit Vietnamese resorts, which is noticeably facilitated by direct flights between our two countries. I would like to note that last year, we launched flights to Vietnam from Irkutsk, and this year, regular flights between Moscow and Ho Chi Minh City.
Naturally, we also considered a number of issues on the regional agenda and touched upon current international matters. I would like to emphasise that Russia's and Vietnam's respective stances on these issues are largely in accord or closely aligned. Our countries remain committed to the principles of the rule of international law, sovereignty, and non-interference in countries' domestic affairs. They coordinate their efforts on key international platforms, including the UN, as well as within the Russia-ASEAN dialogue and at summits in East Asia.
During our discussion on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, we expressed mutual interest in building a strong and reliable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region based on the principles of the non-use of force and peaceful settlement of disputes, with no room for closed military-political blocs.
In conclusion, I would like to once again thank Comrade President and all our Vietnamese friends for their hospitality and substantive talks. This visit will undoubtedly contribute to the further development of the Russian-Vietnamese partnership across the board.
Thank you for your attention.