Before the leaders made statements to the press, a ceremony was held to exchange documents signed during General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam To Lam's visit to Russia.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade To Lam,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
We have just concluded very meaningful and substantive Russian-Vietnamese talks, and, as you see, signed an impressive package of important and mutually beneficial bilateral agreements.
We are truly delighted to welcome our dear friend, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam on a state visit.
Russia and Vietnam are strategic partners. Relations between our countries are unwaveringly built on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration for each other’s interests.
We are united by truly strong and long-standing bonds of friendship and solidarity, mutual assistance, and support. The Soviet Union did much to help the young Vietnamese state withstand its struggle for freedom and independence, contributing to the development of its economy, social sphere, and infrastructure, as well as to the training of national personnel.
It is on this solid foundation that Russian-Vietnamese cooperation continues to develop and acquire new practical dimension.
A number of major joint projects are being implemented, an intergovernmental commission is working actively, and regular dialogue is maintained between the foreign ministries, security councils, parliaments, and party and public organisations.
Today, together with Comrade To Lam and members of his delegation, we discussed in detail the state of bilateral cooperation, as well as pressing regional and international issues. We also outlined priorities for further deepening the Russian-Vietnamese partnership, which were set out in the final joint statement.
Considerable attention was paid to economic issues. We were pleased to note that trade turnover increased by 5.7 percent in 2025. But, of course, as our dear friend and guest noted, this is not enough. The overall volume of trade in absolute terms does not yet match the potential of our countries.
Nevertheless, the trend is positive: in the first half of this year, trade grew by another 13.8 percent.
This positive trend is largely the result of the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union. Its implementation has contributed to a significant increase in reciprocal investment and intensified technology exchanges.
It is important that Russia and Vietnam are consistently transitioning to settlements in national currencies and developing reliable channels for credit and banking cooperation. This helps shield bilateral trade from the negative impact of global political conditions and volatility in global markets.
Cooperation in the energy sector is advancing. Over its 45 years of developing Vietnam’s oil and gas fields, the Vietsovpetro joint venture has produced more than 250 million tonnes of oil. PetroVietnam, in turn, has been implementing projects in Russia’s Nenets Autonomous Area since 2008 and has already produced over 40 million tonnes of oil under the challenging conditions of the Far North.
Gazprom is developing gas fields on the Vietnamese continental shelf. Last year, the company began supplying liquefied natural gas to Vietnam.
The Russian side has proposed that its Vietnamese partners consider the possibility of jointly developing strategic fuel reserves in Vietnam. Our companies are also interested in establishing transit energy supplies through Vietnamese territory to neighbouring countries. Incidentally, those countries have also approached us with a request to organise this work together with our Vietnamese friends.
There is considerable potential for expanding cooperation in the hydropower sector. Let me remind you that more than a third of Vietnam’s hydropower generating capacity was designed and built with the participation of Russian specialists. The RusHydro Group is developing joint projects on engineering assessment and upgrading of the existing hydroelectric power plants.
In March, an intergovernmental agreement was signed to build a Russian-designed nuclear power plant in Vietnam. This is a truly flagship bilateral project. The future nuclear power plant will be able to provide Vietnamese businesses and households with large volumes of affordable and environmentally friendly energy. Plans also include the construction of a nuclear science and technology centre in Vietnam. All of this will give a significant boost for economic growth, create thousands of new hi-tech and well-paid jobs, as well as increase demand for highly skilled Vietnamese personnel.
Among the examples of mutually beneficial industrial cooperation, I would like to highlight the production of Gazelle cargo vans and passenger minibuses in Da Nang. KAMAZ is expanding its presence in the Vietnamese market, with a network of dealerships and service centres across the country.
Today, Comrade To Lam and I opened, via videoconference, a new cutting-edge laboratory at the Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Centre in Hanoi. The laboratory will focus on disease prevention, medicine development, and a range of other issues relevant to tropical climates.
I would like to point out that our Joint Tropical Research Centre has been operating successfully for almost 40 years. Russian and Vietnamese scientists conduct research there in various fields, including medicine, infectious disease control, ecology, and environmental protection. The results of this research are highly acclaimed by the academic community across the world.
Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere continues to gather pace. Scientific, youth, and tourist exchanges are all expanding. Over 3,000 Vietnamese citizens are currently studying at Russian universities, and our Academy of National Economy has training programmes for Vietnamese civil servants and managers. In total, more than 75,000 Vietnamese nationals have received education or professional development in Russia over the years.
Vietnam, meanwhile, is fast becoming a favoured destination for Russian tourists. In 2025, nearly 700,000 Russians visited its resorts, and in the first half of this year alone, that figure exceeded 800,000.
This upward trend is undoubtedly facilitated by the visa-free regime for Russian citizens visiting Vietnam; for our part, we are working to introduce reciprocal visa-free travel for our Vietnamese friends in the near future.
It has also become a welcome tradition to regularly hold mutual Culture Days. Next year, Vietnam will host the world-renowned Russian Seasons festival, with a programme featuring theatre productions, film screenings, and other cultural events.
Our discussions on the current global and regional agenda confirmed that Vietnam and Russia hold broadly aligned, if not identical, positions on many key issues. Our countries stand firmly for the primacy of international law, respect for sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs, and we jointly advocate for stable and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. We explored these matters in detail with our Vietnamese colleagues, underscoring the importance of continued coordination at major multilateral forums, including within the Russia – ASEAN dialogue framework.
In closing, I would like to once again express my gratitude to Comrade To Lam for his productive partnership and for accepting our invitation to visit Russia. I am confident that his visit will serve to further strengthen the full range of our comprehensive strategic partnership to the benefit of our countries’ prosperity, the welfare of our peoples, and the cause of peace and stability.
Thank you.
President of Vietnam To Lam (retranslated): Comrade President Vladimir Putin,
Comrades, friends, and representatives of the media,
I am very glad to once again visit this great, beautiful, and tradition-rich Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has always had a special place in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. The Party, government, and people of Vietnam have consistently held in the highest regard and cherished the immense support and sincere, selfless assistance extended by Russian leaders across generations – and in particular by you, Comrade President – as well as by the Russian people, both during Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and for the reunification of our country, and in our ongoing endeavour to build and defend the Fatherland and to advance national development.
This marks the first state visit by the leader of the Party and state of Vietnam to the Russian Federation since 1991. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to President Vladimir Putin, to the leadership, and to the people of Russia for the warm, cordial, and generous reception extended to me and the high-level delegation of Vietnam during this state visit.
On this occasion, allow me to extend an invitation to Comrade President Vladimir Putin to visit Vietnam in the near future and to participate in the APEC 2027 summit, which will be held on Phu Quoc Island in November 2027.
We always follow developments in Russia with close attention, and we sincerely congratulate you on the remarkable achievements attained by Russia in socioeconomic development and in enhancing its standing on the international stage under the wise leadership of President Putin – the fruits of unity and tireless endeavours on the part of the Russian people. Vietnam has always supported the stable and robust development of Russia, as well as its ever-growing role in the regional and global architecture.
Comrade President Putin and I have just held very successful talks in the spirit of openness, friendship, and profound mutual trust and understanding. I have briefed President Vladimir Putin on developments in Vietnam following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as well as on the strategic guidelines and objectives designed to ensure the country’s rapid and sustainable progress in the new era.
Both sides noted that the comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries has made positive, practical, and wide-ranging progress, underpinned by a wealth of shared interests and the solid foundation of mutual trust.
Our cooperation in trade and the economy has become a leading area, our defence and security cooperation – a strategic pillar, our cooperation in energy and oil and gas sector – a strategic breakthrough, while cooperation in science, technology and education – an engine designed to take relations between our countries to a new level.
We have confirmed that traditionally friendly relations, which stood the test of time and have endured all the shifts and perturbations of that era, are an invaluable treasure of the peoples of our countries.
Given the rapid and complex changes in the world and regional situations, the two countries’ determination to deepen their relations in a new way and take them to a new strategical level are exceptionally important. This meets the interests of partnership and strategic tasks of each country’s development, and contributes to securing peace, cooperation and development in the region and the entire world.
We had a profound, all-round and substantial exchange of opinions and views on the main areas of deepening relations between our countries in the new era.
First, we have agreed with President Putin on the following: to render each other decisive political support and to uphold the protection of each other’s legitimate interests based on the respect for each country’s foreign policy and political course in accordance with international law and the UN Charter; to enhance education of the younger generation so that the traditions of friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Russia could continue from generation to generation, steadily develop, and bear new fruit.
Second, we agreed to make economic and trade cooperation as well as investments the main trend based on a balanced and steady cooperation, seeking to bring trade to US$15 billion by 2030.
Vietnam welcomes more active investment by Russian corporations and enterprises in the development of renewable energy, oil and gas sector and the development of deep-sea resources. The Russian side will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to expand their investment and business activities in Russia in such areas as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and seafood.
The parties have agreed to improve the quality and diversify transportation routes, ensure the reliability of supply chains, and promote sustainable socioeconomic development.
Third, we agreed to make science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation genuine pillars and primary engines of our bilateral relationship.
To that end, the parties agreed to expand joint research, application, and technology transfer in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital technologies, biotechnology, new materials, quantum technology, space technology, and automation.
Fourth, we will deepen defence, security, and military technical cooperation as a strategic pillar of our ties, while also coordinating our responses to unconventional security challenges and stepping up efforts to prevent and combat transnational and high-tech crime.
Fifth, we intend to broaden cooperation in education, human resource development, healthcare, culture, tourism, labour, and public diplomacy, thereby strengthening the broad social foundation on which our bilateral relationship rests.
We have also agreed to continue facilitating travel between our countries, increase the number of regular and direct charter flights, and develop maritime routes and land transport corridors, including road and rail links.
We are grateful to President Putin for his decision to introduce a visa-free regime for Vietnamese citizens visiting Russia.
Sixth, we will strengthen coordination within the United Nations and across multilateral forums, working to promote a multipolar and equitable world order with the UN at its centre. The parties underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (South China Sea). We reaffirmed our commitment to settling disputes by peaceful means, without the use of force, and in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. We also emphasised the need for full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, as well as the swift conclusion of a meaningful and effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea consistent with international law, including UNCLOS.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the President and the Government of Russia for their continued attention to the Vietnamese community in Russia and for the support extended to it. I hope that the Russian side will maintain and expand favourable conditions for our compatriots to live, study, and work here, to integrate successfully into local society, and to serve as a bridge of friendship between our peoples.
Once again, I express my profound gratitude to the President, the leadership, and the people of Russia, as well as to the media of both countries.
I wish you, Comrade President, and all those present, good health, happiness, and every success.
Thank you for your attention.