The visits, taking place from Sept. 7-12, come at the invitations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The official delegation includes: Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Organization Commission; Trinh Van Quyet, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilization; Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Policies and Strategies; General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense; Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung; Hanoi Party Secretary Tran Duc Thang; Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Nguyen Hai Ninh; National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh; Chairman of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai; Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan; Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung; Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan; Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son; Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Pham Duc An; President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Tran Hong Thai; To An Xo, Assistant to the General Secretary and President and head of the Office of the General Secretary; Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi; and Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai.

The trip by General Secretary and President To Lam carries significant importance at both bilateral and multilateral levels as Vietnam moves to vigorously implement the foreign policy set out by the 14th National Party Congress. It is aimed at strengthening political trust, creating a favorable external environment for the country’s new era of development, and mobilizing and leveraging international resources for national development.

This is the first state visit to Russia by Vietnam’s top Party and State leader since 1991, and notably comes shortly after the 14th National Party Congress and the election of the 16th National Assembly. It is also To Lam’s second official visit to France and the second time Vietnam’s top Party and State leader has attended an international event hosted by France. In particular, the trip will include participation in the world’s first summit-level conference on outer space.

The visits demonstrate the importance Vietnam attaches to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships, while seeking to establish new milestones in bilateral ties and maximize the respective strengths of Vietnam and its partners to support each side’s new stage of development. They are also expected to open up opportunities for cooperation in a field of the future: outer space.

While in France, General Secretary and President To Lam will attend the Space Summit.

The inaugural Space Summit, to be held in France on Sept. 9-10, is expected to bring together nearly 120 international delegations, including heads of state, representatives of international and regional organizations, scientists, astronauts and policymakers.

The summit will focus on major issues facing the space sector and explore how developments in outer space could shape the future of Earth.

Tran Thuong