Russia and Vietnam deepen relations
Russia and Vietnam deepen relations
The evolution of a historic commitment to a heroic people
On June 19-20, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, where he met with To Lam, the President of Vietnam; with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Nguyen Phu Trong; and with the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Tran Thanh Man. The highlight of the visit was the issuing of a joint statement on the further development of their comprehensive strategic partnership, which occurred on the thirtieth anniversary of the signing by the two nations of the Treaty on Foundations of Friendly Relations between Russia and Vietnam.
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In comments to the media following the interchange with the Russian President, To Lam noted that the visit is taking place at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, and that it commemorates seventy-five years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Russia and the thirtieth anniversary of the Treaty on the Principles of Friendly Relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. The relationship between the two countries, he stressed, constitutes a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” in which Russia is viewed as one of the priority foreign policy partners of Vietnam. He further expressed gratitude for the support that Vietnam received from the Russian people when it was fighting for its independence, as well as for the support that Vietnam is receiving in its current stage of development.
To Lam also stated that, in his talks with President Putin, both affirmed the principles of equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in internal affairs, and they agreed to step up cooperation on this basis. They agreed that they will not sign treaties with third countries that would be detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the other. They agreed that economic cooperation and cooperation in energy, defense and security, education, and technological innovation are central in the current phase.
In his comments to the media, Russian President Putin also characterized the comprehensive and longstanding relation between Russia and Vietnam as a “strategic partnership” that is based in the principles of equality and mutual respect and in a shared history. The Soviet Union, he recalled, supported the young Vietnamese nation in the defense of its statehood and assisted in the development of its facilities and infrastructure. He agreed with the Vietnamese President that their meeting gave much attention to mutual trade and investment. He pointed out that in the past year, bilateral trade increased 8%, and that in the current year, trade between Vietnam and Russia has grown by more than a third in comparison to the same period the year before. Putin also noted that an important aspect of their cooperation is the transition to commercial payments in national currencies. In 2023, he noted, transactions in Russian rubles or Vietnamese dong accounted for over 40% of the bilateral trade. Putin also stressed that there is growing cooperation in the field of energy, citing a number of specific projects.
Putin also pointed out that there is significant cooperation in education. He noted that more than 3,000 Vietnamese undergraduate and graduate students are currently studying in Russian universities. Moreover, Vietnam Culture Days are held in Russia, involving Vietnamese films, displays of art and photos, and music and dance performances.
Putin noted also that he and the Vietnamese President discussed the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. “We expressed mutual interest in building a strong and reliable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region based on the principles of the non-use of force and peaceful settlement of disputes, with no room for closed military-political blocs.”
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Vietnam-Russia Joint Declaration, June 20, 2024
The June 20, 2024, joint statement emphasizes the deepening comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam, based in thirty years of implementation of the Treaty on the Basic Principles of Friendly Relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Russian Federation. The document notes that the two countries continue to expand cooperation in various fields, including oil, gas, energy, digital technology, transportation, agriculture, industry, engineering, mining, education in the sciences and the humanities, information security, cyberspace, health, fitness, and sports
The joint statement expresses the commitment of the two nations to “forming a fair and sustainable multipolar world order, based on the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including respect for sovereignty, . . . the right of national self-determination, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, non-use of force or threat of use of force, and peaceful resolution of disputes.” Taking note of rapid changes in the international scenario, the document expresses support for a growing role for the countries of the South in international governance. The statement affirms that “every country has the right to decide for itself [its] development model [and the] political, economic and social institutions suitable to the country's conditions and the aspirations of the people.” It rejects “the politicization of activities of specialized agencies of the United Nations and other international organizations.”
The document affirms that the two countries have similar views with respect to global issues. It calls for an inclusive multilateral world, in accordance with the principles and rules of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. It affirms the central role of ASEAN in the Asia-Pacific region, and it expresses opposition to efforts to divide the region. It declares that Russia and Vietnam are committed to cooperation with respect to countering terrorism, transnational crime, climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, the illegal sale of arms, biological weapons, and chemical weapons.
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Putin article in the Vietnamese newspaper Nhân Dân
Prior to his trip to Vietnam, Putin wrote an article for publication in Nhân Dân, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. Selections from the article, “Friendship Tested by Time,” follow.
On the eve of my next, fifth visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, I would like to share with the readership of the respected and influential newspaper Nhân Dân my vision of the history, present-day state and future of the Russian-Vietnamese partnership. . ..
Hồ Chí Minh, the great son of the Vietnamese people and a good friend of our country, stood at the origins of our bilateral cooperation. Russia honours the memory of this outstanding patriot, politician and statesman who always firmly and uncompromisingly defended the sovereignty and freedom of his Homeland. I would like to note that a monument to the first President of Vietnam was erected last year in St. Petersburg to commemorate the centenary of his visit to Russia's “northern capital.”
Our country significantly contributed to the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people against foreign invaders. After the victory and complete liberation of the Vietnamese territory from the occupiers, it was Soviet builders, engineers, doctors, teachers and scientists who helped rebuild Vietnam. They put in a lot of effort to develop its economic and defence potential and address top social priorities.
These time-proven traditions of fellowship and mutual support provide a solid foundation for furthering the bilateral relations of comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnam is a vibrant and unique ancient civilization adding to the tapestry of a multipolar world. Hanoi pursues an independent foreign policy in the global arena and strongly advocates a just world order based on international law and principles of equality of all states and non-interference in their internal affairs.
We highly appreciate the fact that our countries have coinciding or similar approaches to pressing issues on the international agenda. We work closely together within key international forums, first of all within the United Nations. We have similar assessments of the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. We see Vietnam as a like-minded partner in shaping a new architecture of equal and indivisible Eurasian security on an inclusive and non-discriminatory basis. . ..
It is important that the two countries have consistently given serious attention to enhancing mutual trade and promoting investment. Thus, according to Russian statistics, bilateral trade increased by eight percent in 2023, and gained more than a third in the first quarter of the current year compared to the same period last year. Food, mineral resources, machinery and equipment are exported to Vietnam. Many Vietnamese goods, including clothing, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products, are in demand on the Russian market. The 2015 Free Economic Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam helps reinforce and further develop these positive trends.
The possibility exists for our countries to carry out settlements in national currencies—the Russian ruble and the Vietnamese dong. Such transactions accounted for more than 40 percent of bilateral trade last year, and in the first quarter of this year their share rose to almost 60 percent. This is in keeping with the global trend toward phasing out the use of widely discredited currencies in international trade and investment. A major role in ensuring reliable financial settlements is played by the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank, whose opening ceremony I attended back in 2006. We hope that the Bank will continue its work, contributing actively to the strengthening of economic collaboration between our states.
The energy sector remains a strategically important area of bilateral cooperation...
Our country has traditionally contributed a great deal to the development of Vietnam's hydropower potential…
And I certainly cannot but mention the long-standing traditions of bilateral cooperation in education. Over the past decades, tens of thousands of Vietnamese specialists in various fields have received training or upgraded their skills in our country, and several thousand have obtained academic degrees. We intend to further prioritize partnership in this area. This includes further offering education opportunities at Russian universities to Vietnamese citizens at the expense of the federal budget. We will do our best to promote student exchanges, launch joint academic projects and programmes…
Together with our Vietnamese friends, we will continue to develop bilateral ties and cooperation for the benefit of our peoples, for stability and prosperity in the region and the world as a whole. I am confident that our countries, relying on the best traditions of friendship, mutual trust and mutual assistance, will achieve all our ambitious goals.
I wish the people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam peace, well-being and prosperity.
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Final considerations
The deepening relations between Russia and Vietnam are part of a larger process of the deepening of bilateral economic and cultural relations among a network of nations who are major actors in the world scene, including Russia, China, Vietnam, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran, among others. They are not only seeking to circumvent unjust sanctions imposed by the West for their refusal to accept terms of exchange dictated by Western powers. They also are self-consciously constructing, step-by-step, alternative principles and norms for the construction of a more just, politically stable, and prosperous world. They are joined in the process of alternative construction by an expanding BRICS, by CELAC, and by the Arab World.
Thus, it can be seen that the central revolutionary subject of our time is the neocolonized peoples, with Russia and China serving as key allies. From the vantage point of the West, the phenomenon is seen as a threat, overlooking its implications for the construction of a more peaceful and prosperous world, to the benefit of all nations and peoples.
Intellectuals of the West ought to seek to understand this important phenomenon of our era and seek to explain its positive potentialities for the peoples of the West.
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