General Secretary and President To Lam set off to visit Russia and France
The business trip of General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife took place on September 7-12, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Joining the delegation were Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan, and other senior officials, according to VNA.
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said the visit demonstrates Vietnam's respect for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating new milestones, exploiting the strengths of Vietnam and other countries to the fullest to serve each side's new development process, as well as opening up opportunities for cooperation in a field of the future, aerospace.
For Russia, the visit is expected to further strengthen the foundation of political trust and strengthen the role of Heads of State Diplomacy through maintaining regular contact between the top leaders of the two countries.
The visit is expected to create breakthrough changes in traditional pillars of cooperation, first of all oil and gas and energy, including nuclear power; making economic cooperation, trade, investment, infrastructure connection and infrastructure development a new driving force; Open up air, maritime and railway connections and promote businesses of the two countries to participate in investment projects in each other's markets.
The two sides will create more cohesion in science and technology cooperation, innovation and combining high-quality human resource training. The two sides have much potential for cooperation in the fields of digital technology, AI, cyber security, biotechnology, biomedical, pharmaceuticals, machine manufacturing, smart transportation and basic research.
For France, the visit will be an important opportunity for the two sides to continue to strengthen political trust, determine a long-term vision and concretize the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework with specific programs, projects and results, creating stronger changes in economic, trade and investment cooperation, making science and technology, innovation and digital transformation the new driving force of the two countries' relationship.
In the context of the visit taking place along with attending the Aerospace Summit, it can be said that space technology and industry will also be expected to become a new strategic direction of cooperation between Vietnam and France.
Vietnam and Russia have a long-standing traditional relationship. The two sides established a Strategic Partnership in 2001 and upgraded it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2012. According to Vietnam Customs, two-way trade turnover in 2025 will reach 4.77 billion USD, an increase of 4% compared to 2024.
Vietnam and France became Strategic Partners in 2013 and Comprehensive Strategic Partners in October 2024. France is the first EU country to have the highest level of relations with Vietnam. Total bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and France in 2025 will reach about 6.3 billion USD, positive growth compared to 2024, according to data from Vietnam Customs.
Ngoc Anh