The cooperation was discussed during a meeting in Hanoi on July 16 between Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc and Sergey Machekhin, Deputy General Director of Russian energy company RusHydro.

Tuc told his guest Vietnam’s electricity demand would continue to rise alongside rapid socio-economic development, making energy security a national priority.

While expanding renewable energy sources is an important objective, Vietnam is also focusing on upgrading existing energy infrastructure, including a number of hydropower plants built with support from the former Soviet Union and later Russia.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, these projects represent not only valuable energy assets but also enduring symbols of the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

He proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade and state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) work closely with RusHydro in identifying practical cooperation projects, ranging from technological upgrades and operational efficiency improvements to enhancing the long-term safety and reliability of hydropower facilities.

The government of Vietnam is committed to creating favourable policy conditions for businesses from both countries to expand cooperation in research, engineering and project implementation, he assured his guest.

Machekhin, for his part, described energy as one of the key pillars of the Vietnam-Russia partnership.

He said RusHydro, one of Russia’s largest renewable electricity producers, has extensive experience not only in hydropower but also in wind, solar and geothermal energy, as well as electricity transmission infrastructure and power system management.

The company is ready to share technologies and operational expertise with Vietnamese partners, particularly in maintaining and modernising hydropower facilities to improve efficiency and reliability, he said.

Beyond conventional hydropower, RusHydro also expressed interest in cooperating with Vietnam on emerging energy technologies, including energy storage systems, which are becoming increasingly important as countries integrate larger shares of renewable energy into their electricity grid.

The discussions highlighted growing opportunities for bilateral cooperation that extend beyond maintaining existing infrastructure to include new technologies supporting Vietnam's broader energy transition.

As Vietnam pursues ambitious economic growth while strengthening energy security, combining international expertise with domestic capabilities is expected to play an increasingly important role in building a modern, flexible and sustainable power system.

The meeting also underscored the evolving nature of Vietnam-Russia energy cooperation, shifting from the construction of large hydropower projects in previous decades toward technological modernisation and the development of next-generation clean energy solutions.

Vietnam, Russia strengthen legal cooperation at St. Petersburg legal forum

VOV.VN - Vietnamese Minister of Justice Hoang Thanh Tung held a working session with his Russian counterpart Konstantin Chuychenko on June 24 on the sidelines of the 14th Saint Petersburg International Legal Forum to discuss measures for implementing the cooperation agreement between the two ministries.