Prime Minister Medvedev’s visit follows a visit by Party leader and President Nguyen Phu Trong to Russia in September and is expected to create momentum for signed agreements.

Vietnam-Russia cooperation progresses in all fields

The Vietnam-Russia relationship has been steadily expanded in all areas: politics, economics, defense, security, culture, science, education, health and humanities. Bilateral political ties has been strengthened through delegation exchanges and regular contact, consultation, and strategic dialogue at all levels.

Party leader and President Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Russia in September created a breakthrough in and deepened the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries who discussed every aspect of their relations, shared political views, and pledged to continue to support each other.

During that visit, the two sides signed 15 cooperative agreements in industry, banking, and information security and agreed to promote the Eurasian-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement which took effect 2 years ago. Thanks to the agreement, trade between Vietnam and Russia reached nearly 3.6 billion USD last year, 31% more than the previous year. In the first nine months of this year, two-way trade totaled 3.4 billion USD, 37% higher than the previous year. Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh said: "Russia is a large market with 140 million people including a large number of Vietnamese. Vietnam was the first country to sign an FTA with the Eurasian Economic Union which creates great opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises. Our tropical fruits and vegetables are favored in Russia. The quality of Vietnamese products has increased to meet the growing demand of the Russians. The large community of Vietnamese people in Russia serves as a bridge linking the two countries.”

In recent years, sister cities of the two countries have strengthened bilateral cooperation focused on economics, trade, investment, culture, and education. The Russian government has given nearly 1,000 scholarships to Vietnamese students. The two countries regularly organize Cultural Days, Cultural Weeks, exhibitions, and seminars to show their cultures and products.

There is still room for greater cooperation to grow further, says Truong Dinh Hoe, Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers: “The Russian economy is recovering so its demand may not be high. And Russia has particularly rich fisheries so it may have other options. We need to expand the number of Vietnamese enterprises eligible to export to Russia.”

Medvedev’s visit will create new momentum for bilateral ties

Vietnam always considers Russia a top partner in its external relations. Russia ranks Vietnam a leading partner in Southeast Asia. The two countries aim to make their signed agreements successful in improving their bilateral ties. Prime Minister Medvedev’s visit shows a determination to deepen the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.