Russia and France accorded Vietnamese leader To Lam and his delegation warm, high-level welcomes featuring special ceremonial honors, reflecting the importance both countries attached to his visits.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President To Lam, accompanied by his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, concluded visits to Russia and France as well as his participation in a space summit.
Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung described the trip as historic, saying it comprehensively achieved its objectives at a high level and carried significant implications for Vietnam’s relations with its partners and the country’s development in a new period.
Both Russia and France extended particularly warm and formal welcomes to To Lam and his delegation, with a series of special ceremonies reflecting the importance attached to the visits.
To Lam took part in an extensive schedule of talks, meetings and exchanges with the countries’ top leaders, representatives of political parties, business leaders, academics and figures from the science, technology and education sectors, as well as Vietnamese communities in both countries.
Moving beyond simply buying and selling goods
Vietnamese leader To Lam meets senior Russian officials during his visit to Russia. Photos: VNA, Kremlin
Foreign Minister Trung said one of the most notable outcomes of the high-level diplomatic engagements was the strong consensus between To Lam and the leaders of Russia and France on issues discussed and matters of shared concern.
The exchanges helped Vietnamese leaders and their Russian and French counterparts deepen mutual understanding at a time when international and regional developments are creating new challenges and requirements for all three countries.
Beyond strengthening mutual understanding and political relations, the leaders of Vietnam, Russia and France reached a high level of agreement on the need to effectively implement existing agreements in areas including economics, trade, investment, science and technology, and education and training.
The discussions also explored new directions for cooperation in these fields.
Despite the relatively short duration of the visits, numerous cooperation initiatives were advanced across a broad range of areas. Their outcomes were reflected in Vietnam’s joint statements with Russia and France and in cooperation agreements signed during the trips.
Vietnamese leader To Lam meets French leaders during his visit to France. Photo: VNA
Vietnam and its two partners believe there remains considerable potential for cooperation that can better serve their respective needs and interests.
In trade and investment, Vietnam, Russia and France agreed that two-way trade and investment should rise further to match the level of their comprehensive strategic partnerships and the potential and strengths of each side.
Science and technology emerged as a particularly important area of consensus, with both Russia and France identifying the sector as a potential new breakthrough in their cooperation with Vietnam.
To Lam emphasized the need for a change in mindset and new approaches to cooperation, an idea that received strong support from leaders of both countries.
The new approach, he said, should no longer focus simply on how much Vietnam buys from other countries, how much they buy from Vietnam, or conventional technology transfers.
Instead, Vietnam wants to work with Russia and France on joint production and research, create products together, and strengthen connections across shared supply chains.
According to the foreign minister, this shift in thinking will be important in shaping Vietnam’s cooperation with Russia and France in the coming years.
Partners gain a clearer understanding of Vietnam’s approach
To Lam joins other world leaders at the space summit in France. Photo: VNA
Another important outcome of the meetings and exchanges, according to Trung, was that Vietnam’s partners gained a clearer understanding of the country’s current approach to cooperation and agreed to work together on implementation.
Vietnam’s leadership and government will oversee individual projects and work to resolve obstacles and difficulties as they arise, with the aim of producing concrete results while focusing on new areas of cooperation.
As Russia and France are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with significant international influence, stronger relations with the two countries will also contribute to Vietnam’s efforts to pursue its foreign policy objectives.
At the space summit in France, French leaders as well as representatives of other countries and international organizations welcomed To Lam’s participation and his address to the gathering.
Space is no longer regarded solely as a field of science, but also as a new frontier for development. Vietnam’s Party and state have identified it as an area of growing interest that the country hopes to harness for national development.
France has considerable strengths in the sector, spanning scientific research, practical applications and companies operating in the space industry.
To Lam receives the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize and France’s Legion of Honor. Photos: VNA, KremlinFrance’s Ministry of Culture returns a Dong Son bronze drum from the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts to Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
To effectively translate the results of the visits into action, Trung said high-level agreements should be quickly converted into specific programs, plans and projects.
Vietnam and its partners should also conduct regular reviews, promptly address difficulties and closely monitor the implementation of agreements already reached.
With Russia, priorities include the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant project, oil and gas, energy, railways and logistics, alongside joint research programs, technology transfers and human-resource training.
With France, Vietnam should continue implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement effectively while addressing bottlenecks in trade, investment, market connectivity, logistics and supply chains, creating conditions for businesses to participate more deeply in specific projects.
Implementation should balance the interests of all sides while ensuring legal compliance, quality, safety and long-term effectiveness.
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