Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi: The visit inherits history and looks towards the future of Vietnam-Russian Federation relations

President To Lam and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a State visit to Vietnam, June 2024. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

On the occasion of General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, making an official visit to the Russian Federation and attending the 80th anniversary of the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dang Minh Khoi gave an interview to The Gioi va Viet Nam Newspaper, highlighting the significance of the visit and the highlights of the bilateral relationship with its long history.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dang Minh Khoi. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in the Russian Federation)

How does the Ambassador assess the significance of General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the Russian Federation and attendance at the 80th Anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War?

This is General Secretary To Lam's first official visit to the Russian Federation in his capacity as the Party's top leader, taking place at a time when the two countries have just celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (January 30, 1950 - January 30, 2025), as well as the 70th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's first official visit to the Soviet Union (July 1955 - July 2025).

This is also the occasion when Vietnam celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). The people of the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation today celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day (May 9, 1945 - May 9, 2025).

It can be said that the visit took place at a historic, symbolic moment and had many extremely important meanings. The visit affirmed the historical inheritance, the current state of bilateral relations and looked towards a new future.

Could the Ambassador share the highlights of the traditional friendship that has overcome many historical challenges between Vietnam and the Russian Federation over the past three-quarters of a century?

Looking back over the course of history, although Vietnam and the former Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation today, have gone through 75 years of establishing diplomatic relations, in fact more than 100 years ago, President Ho Chi Minh first set foot in Russia and from here he found the way to save the country.

The people of the two countries have shared many historical values ​​that are closely linked together. These are independence, freedom, and the happiness of the people. Under the light of the October Revolution, as well as the influence of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II, the August Revolution in Vietnam succeeded, and Vietnam gained independence. After that, our people won the resistance war against colonialism in 1954, liberated the South, and reunified the country in 1975.

In 1941, under the leadership of Uncle Ho, 7 Vietnamese volunteers joined the Red Army to defend Moscow and 3 of them bravely sacrificed their lives. In October 2024, the Russian Federation inaugurated a monument to the 3 Vietnamese soldiers who died at that time, recognizing the contribution of the Vietnamese people to the common struggle of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

On the other hand, looking back at history during the resistance wars against France and the US, tens of thousands of Soviet military advisors came to help Vietnam and many of them sacrificed their lives.

After the war, tens of thousands of Soviet advisors helped Vietnam build many typical projects, helping Vietnam build the country in the early days. It can be said that the history of the two countries is very closely linked, truly sincere, recognizing the wholehearted and righteous help.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a period when relations between the two countries stagnated, but over the past 20 years, Vietnam-Russia relations have gradually recovered and developed strongly. In 2024, Vietnam and Russia celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Basic Principles of Friendship Relations and the 12th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

In particular, in 2024 and early 2025, the relationship between the two countries will develop strongly in all areas. The most notable mark is the frequent high-level contacts: in June 2024, President Putin paid an official visit to Vietnam; in January 2025, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Vietnam; in October 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the expanded BRICS Summit in Kazan; in September 2024, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man paid an official visit to the Russian Federation; In addition, General Secretary To Lam had a very important phone call with Russian President Putin.

It can be said that phone calls and high-level contacts have shaped the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in politics, economics, trade and people-to-people exchange has also developed very strongly.

During this visit by General Secretary To Lam, the two countries' top leaders are expected to discuss major orientations for developing bilateral relations not only for the next 5-10 years but possibly longer.

Vietnam and Russia are both ready and willing to deepen the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries, build more trustworthy political relations, more substantive and effective economic and trade relations, and closer people-to-people exchanges.

The 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation was held by the Embassy of Vietnam in the Russian Federation in Moscow, February 2025. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in the Russian Federation)

According to the Ambassador, with the solid foundation and determination of the leaders of the two countries, what are the prospects for developing Vietnam-Russian Federation relations in the new era?

In addition to cooperation in security, defense, and oil and gas - the main pillars of bilateral cooperation, the two countries expect to open up new areas of cooperation and seek new driving forces to promote relations, first of all in the field of science and technology cooperation.

The former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation today are science and technology powerhouses. Russia's basic research is very good and has recently developed strongly from basic research to applied research. Although the Russian Federation has encountered many difficulties in the past, the country has still achieved many important achievements in the fields of nuclear, quantum, artificial intelligence, new science and technology, green energy, etc. This is very necessary for Vietnam to learn from and take advantage of the experience, technology, and capital of the Russian Federation to develop the country.

In addition, Vietnam has restarted its nuclear power project. Nuclear cooperation is also a priority area of ​​cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. Russia said that it is not simply cooperating in building 1 or 2 nuclear power plants, but also helping Vietnam develop the nuclear industry. This can be said to be a key technology industry that helps Vietnam step firmly into a new period of development for the country.

In addition, there are many other areas for cooperation between the two countries such as transportation, logistics, etc. The prospects for cooperation between the two countries are enormous. Importantly, the ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries now need to take advantage of opportunities and effectively implement high-level agreements to promote cooperation in the field of science and technology.

In the coming time, the two countries need to pay more attention to the field of educational and training cooperation. Vietnam needs to make good use of the annual Russian scholarships, train high-quality human resources to help develop the country, in which priority is given to the fields of basic research, manufacturing, technology, including the field of academic art training.

Thank you very much Ambassador!

"Vietnam and Russia are both ready and willing to deepen the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries, build a more trustworthy political relationship, more substantive and effective economic and trade relations, and closer people-to-people exchanges." (Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-dang-minh-khoi-chuyen-tham-ke-thua-lich-su-va-huong-toi-tuong-lai-cho-quan-he-viet-nam-lien-bang-nga-313348.html