On January 14, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Hanoi. Following the ceremony, the two leaders sat down for official talks. (VNA)
Vietnamese Prime Minister (PM) Phạm Minh Chính embarked for Moscow for a four-day visit on March 22. The visit will focus on development in several areas of cooperation initiatives, including energy, trade and investment.
On this 2026 visit to Russia, the PM was accompanied by senior officials from the Government Office, key ministries, the State Bank, the State Inspectorate, and the People’s Army, who are set to hold meetings with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Both countries have been scheduled to discuss the ‘issues of Russian-Vietnamese trade’, particularly on joining strategic projects on energy and other areas.
Chính’s visit to Moscow is seen as a strategic step to address its domestic energy supply and demand needs amid the instability in the Middle East, which has sparked an energy and economic crisis. Following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Hanoi witnessed soaring prices, with 95-octane gasoline increasing by 70% and diesel by 50%.
Specifically, both sides are expected to sign a new agreement on nuclear power, oil and gas cooperation. Key areas of collaboration in these sectors include the expansion of foreign trade, human resource training and crude oil exploration, according to Dang Minh Khoi, the Ambassador of Vietnam to Russia.
Other priority sectors include infrastructure development, scientific and technological advancement, the education sector, and cultural and artistic initiatives.
Vietnam and Russia have been engaged in a cordial relationship since December 27, 1991. In 2012, both signed a comprehensive strategic partnership, being the first Southeast Asian nation to engage in such a relationship. Russia has mainly become Vietnam’s number one military apparatus supplier. In the energy sector, Russia and Vietnam are actively finalising the nuclear power plant project, which is aimed to be operationally available by 2030 or 2035.
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