Party General Secretary and President To Lam, accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, departed Hanoi today (September 7) for a state visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

This is the first state visit to Russia by the top leader of Vietnam's Party and State since 1991, taking place immediately after the 14th National Party Congress and the election of the 16th National Assembly.

More than 75 years ago, on January 30, 1950, Vietnam and the former Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation) officially established diplomatic relations, laying a solid foundation for bilateral relations across all fields as well as at international and regional forums.

That journey of cooperation and development has brought Vietnam and Russia numerous proud achievements, serving as a firm affirmation and vivid testimony to the enduring bond that transcends time and geographical distance between the two nations.

The Party, State, and people of Vietnam always treasure the faithful friendship, valuable support, and assistance extended by the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia during Vietnam's struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as in its current phase of robust development.

Over the past period, relations between Vietnam and Russia have continued to be maintained and developed on the solid foundation of traditional friendship and the comprehensive strategic partnership. Political trust has been firmly consolidated, with the two countries regularly maintaining delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, thus  creating strong impetus for the development of bilateral ties.

Most notably, the two sides adopted a joint statement on major orientations for the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership in the new cooperation phase in May 2025, during an official visit to the Russian Federation by General Secretary To Lam to attend the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The statement affirmed their determination to leverage the potential, advantages, and available opportunities of bilateral cooperation, preserve and consolidate traditional friendship, and elevate the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new qualitative height.

Besides political and diplomatic ties, economic, trade, and investment cooperation has continued to see steady growth.  In 2025, bilateral trade turnover reached nearly US$4.8 billion, and stood at US$2.16 billion during the five month period of 2026, up 6.4% year-on-year. As of July 2026, Russia had 223 investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of nearly US$1 billion, ranking 28th among 153 countries and territories investing in the country,  while Vietnam had 19 valid investment projects in Russia with total registered capital amounting to US$1.64 billion.

Relations between Vietnam and Russia have also developed positively across a variety offields such as defence and security, energy and oil and gas, science and technology, culture, tourism, education and training, and the humanities. Among them, cooperation in science, technology, education, and training between the two countries has been stepped up and elevated to a strategic level. The two sides are currently implementing the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Center project and launching diverse  activities within the framework of the 2026 cross-year on science and education cooperation.

The two sides have also closely coordinated at multilateral forums and international organizations such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The Vietnamese community in Russia, numbering approximately 80,000 people, has been and remains an important bridge for bilateral relations. The overwhelming majority of the community work diligently, love their homeland Vietnam, and are attached to their second home, the Russian Federation, actively contributing to both Vietnam and Russia. Many have become successful entrepreneurs and highly qualified intellectuals.

General Secretary and President To Lam's visit to Russia is a practical implementation of Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, as well as multilateralization and diversification, which was adopted by the 14th National Party  Congress.

The visit will help carry the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership forward in a strong, substantive, effective, and sustainable manner. At the same time, it offers an opportunity for both sides to reaffirm their enduring traditional friendship and sincere, reliable cooperation for the benefit of their people  and for regional and global peace, cooperation, and development.

Top Vietnamese leader confident relations with Russia will continue to develop strongly

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam said he believes that the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia would continue to develop strongly, substantively and effectively.

Top leader To Lam’s Russia visit seen as milestone for comprehensive strategic partnership

VOV.VN - Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko expects Vietnam’s top leader To Lam’s State visit to Russia from September 7-9 to mark an important milestone in the development of the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, opening new avenues for cooperation and enhancing coordination in multilateral mechanisms.