Remembering the past, creating momentum for the future: Vietnam-Russia traditional ties
WVR - Continuing the warm flow of friendship, the official visit of Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly Vyacheslav Volodin and his participation in the fourth session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Russian State Duma marked another significant milestone in strengthening and creating new momentum for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the future.
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| General Secretary To Lam receives Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. (Photo: Hai Nguyen) |
The activities of the head of the Russian State Duma in Hanoi significantly contributed to strengthening the foundation for promoting the robust and sustainable development of Vietnam-Russia relations in the new cooperation phase.
The year 2025 marks many meaningful anniversaries for both Vietnam and Russia, as well as their bilateral relations: 75 years of diplomatic relations, 80 years of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and 80 years of Vietnam National Day. Since the beginning of the year, a series of activities by leaders from both sides have been implemented, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Vietnam (January 2025), General Secretary To Lam's visit to Russia (May 2025), and now the visit of Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
Opening new directions
“Despite many changes in the global situation and context, Vietnam remains a faithful friend of Russia.” Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin emphasized this in meetings with General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.
As Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin shared, Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian leaders, as well as Russian State Duma deputies, are very interested in this visit to Vietnam, seeing it as an important step to effectively implement General Secretary To Lam's visit to Russia four months ago. A solid foundation for bilateral cooperation has been established by the leaders of both countries, and according to Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin, “it is essential to do our utmost to continue comprehensively developing relations within the parliamentary framework, following the direction set by the leaders of both countries.”
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| President Luong Cuong and Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The visit of the head of the Russian State Duma, according to Vietnamese leaders, is a vivid testament to the will and determination to further promote the traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
Recalling the extremely positive impressions from his visit to Russia, General Secretary To Lam expressed his ongoing interest and joy at Russia's achievements in recent times. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam highly appreciated the positive outcomes of inter-parliamentary cooperation, viewing parliamentary collaboration as an important channel and an effective mechanism for supervising cooperation between the governments and ministries of the two countries, promptly supporting the removal of legal barriers to promote substantive bilateral cooperation projects.
Emphasizing that this visit contributes to creating new momentum for the close and effective relationship between the two countries, President Luong Cuong proposed that the Russian State Duma and the Russian Government continue to facilitate the Vietnamese community's business and living conditions, contributing to Russia's development and bilateral relations. Additionally, the President expressed the desire for Russia to make it easier for Vietnamese tourists to visit the beautiful country of Russia by waiving visas and simplifying visa procedures.
Referring to the recent cordial meeting with President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, and the talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin earlier this year in Hanoi, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed the desire for the two countries to further enhance economic-trade and investment cooperation to soon achieve the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to 15 billion USD, effectively utilizing the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and encouraging businesses from both countries to invest in each other's markets.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Expressing pleasure at meeting Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin again and reminiscing about the memories from the official visit to Russia last September, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man suggested that the Russian State Duma enhance cooperation and coordination with the Vietnamese National Assembly, particularly in sharing experiences in implementing the "Smart Parliament" initiative, completing the legal framework, and supporting and assisting agencies and organizations from both countries in overcoming difficulties and obstacles, promoting cooperation in all fields, especially in economy-trade, investment, energy, science-technology, education-training, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
It is evident that the prominent spirit in the meetings between the Chairman of the Russian State Duma and key Vietnamese leaders is the determination to elevate bilateral cooperation to new heights, maximizing potential and meeting the development needs of both countries. Both sides also emphasized efforts to maintain a regular, trusted political dialogue mechanism at all levels, ensuring the stable and smooth development of Vietnam-Russia relations across all channels, while opening new directions for future cooperation.
Five major focus areas
The fourth session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee is a significant highlight of this visit. Through three successful sessions, the inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanism has become an effective cooperation channel, contributing to completing the legal framework and promoting key areas of cooperation, in line with the interests of both countries. The organization of sessions on an annual rotational basis demonstrates the determination of the legislative bodies of both countries to consolidate, promote, and deepen bilateral relations.
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| The fourth session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Russian State Duma on September 28, 2025. (Photo: Nguyen Hai) |
Highlighting the role of parliamentary cooperation in the overall bilateral relationship, Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin shared at the session: “We need to seek new forms of cooperation to develop relations between the two countries. The result of the joint legislative work process is decisions for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and Vietnam.”
At this session, both sides reviewed the cooperation situation between the two countries and assessed the implementation results of the conclusions from the third session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, held exactly one year ago.
The two sides focused on discussing five key topics: Legislative support for the development of bilateral economic-trade relations, improving the business and investment environment; legislative and supervisory work to promote cooperation in the energy sector; the role of legislative bodies in strengthening multilateralism, adhering to the United Nations Charter and fundamental principles of international law, to build a fair, peaceful, cooperative, and developing world; legislative and supervisory work to promote cooperation in science and technology; and parliamentary support for enhancing humanitarian cooperation, including education, culture, and tourism.
In an atmosphere of trust, frankness, and constructiveness, the parliamentarians and deputies from both countries shared experiences in institutional and legal framework building, proposing many solutions to promote bilateral cooperation, especially in areas of mutual interest, through enhanced parliamentary cooperation, coordinated supervision of agreement implementation, promoting exchanges between specialized agencies, and close coordination at international parliamentary forums where both sides participate.
The session concluded with the adoption of a Joint Communiqué on the results of the fourth session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Russian State Duma, clearly defining the direction of inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, in line with the nature of bilateral relations and the needs of both sides in the new context. The fifth session is expected to be held on a rotational basis in Russia in 2026.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta on September 29 assessed the visit as a “significant step” to promote political, parliamentary, and economic cooperation. The discussions and the Inter-Parliamentary Committee session contributed to creating a new legal framework for cooperation in trade, tourism, and energy. On the same day, Sputnik news agency also reported on the legislative bodies of the two countries agreeing to enhance cooperation and coordination at international parliamentary forums, particularly the Russian State Duma sharing experiences in implementing the "Smart Parliament" initiative with the Vietnamese National Assembly.
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| Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin visits the Vietnam Military History Museum on September 28. (Source: People's Representative) |
In addition to meetings and sessions, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma paid respects at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – the leader who laid the foundation for Vietnam-Russia relations; laid flowers at the Monument to the Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son Street; visited the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center and the Vietnam Military History Museum – where vivid evidence of the former Soviet Union's meaningful support is preserved.
These deeply symbolic activities not only evoke the heroic historical memories of the two countries' relationship but also create a continuous connection with the substantive outcomes of the current session – reflecting a shared determination to inherit the valuable legacy while deepening and elevating bilateral relations in the new era.
Through effective meetings, sessions, and meaningful activities, the visit of Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin affirmed the important role of the parliamentary channel in promoting bilateral cooperation, creating new momentum for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia in the next development phase.
The political trust and strong commitment from the leaders of both countries continue to open up effective and practical cooperation chapters in the future, contributing to peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and the world.
