Lam and his entourage were welcomed at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, officials from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ambassador to Vietnam, and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia, along with a large number of embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia.

Russia is the third stopover of the Vietnamese leader during his European tour from May 5 to 12, which also takes him to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Belarus.

While staying in Russia from May 8 – 11, Lam is expected to hold talks and meetings with Putin and other senior Russian leaders to promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, particularly in the fields of energy, mining, finance, banking, infrastructure development, and real estate.

He will also attend a grand ceremony in Moscow on May 9 commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

This is Lam’s first official visit to Russia as the highest leader of the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam. The visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as the 70th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s first official visit to the former Soviet Union, now Russia.

Last year, the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the new Friendship Treaty, which shaped their relationship in the new era. Based on the fundamental principles of this treaty, in 2001 Vietnam and Russia upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership, and a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012.

Over the past recent years, particularly from 2024 onward, bilateral relations have developed strongly across all fields through frequent high-level contacts.

In June 2024, President Putin made an official visit to Vietnam, and in January 2025, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin visited Vietnam.

On the other side, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man visited Russia in September 2024 and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid a working trip to Russia a month later. Earlier, in August 2024, General Secretary and then President To Lam had an important phone conversation with Russian President Putin.

“I believe that during General Secretary To Lam’s visit this time, the top leaders of both countries will exchange major directions for the upcoming development phase, not just for the next 5 or 10 years, but potentially for a longer period,” said Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi.

Russian ambassador optimistic about outcomes of Vietnamese leader’s visit

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam G. S. Bezdetko has shown optimism that the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s upcoming official visit to Russia will generate fruitful outcomes while speaking to the media on the threshold of the visit, spanning from May 8-11.