Following the ceremony, the Vietnamese and Russian defense delegations held talks.

In his speech during the talks, General Phan Van Giang said Vietnam always values and remembers the wholehearted support, assistance and goodwill generations of Russian leaders and people have extended to Vietnam during its struggle for national independence in the past as well as in the country’s cause of national construction and defence

General Phan Van Giang noted that, with active coordination from Russia’s Defence Ministry, Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence inaugurated the Vietnam-Soviet Union solidarity and friendship monument at the Vietnam Military History Museum in August 2025 to honor Soviet military experts who supported Vietnam, with Russian experts serving as the core force.

Welcoming the strong development of the Vietnam-Russia traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership,  Giang said important agreements reached by senior leaders of the two countries have created strong momentum to expand and deepen cooperation across all fields, with defence ties continuing to serve as one of the key pillars of bilateral relations.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Removich Belousov congratulated General Phan Van Giang on his appointment, approved by Vietnam’s National Assembly, as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense. He expressed confidence that, in his new position, General Phan Van Giang will continue contributing to the growth of bilateral defence cooperation as well as the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Russian defence minister affirmed his ministry’s support for and readiness to boost cooperation with Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense into new areas suited to the capabilities and conditions of each side.

The two ministers said bilateral defense ties have continued to grow in line with their role as a key pillar of Vietnam-Russia relations, yielding notable results in delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, cooperation between defense agencies and units, training, scientific and technological research through the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, participation in international multilateral activities hosted by either side, and close coordination within ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM+).

To further deepen bilateral defence cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner in line with agreements reached by the two countries’ senior leaders, the two sides agreed, at the proposal of General Phan Van Giang, to continue coordinating the implementation of agreed areas of cooperation.

 Priority areas include effectively carrying out signed cooperation documents, exchanging and signing new agreements in line with the needs of both sides, sharing experience, humanitarian mine clearance, military history education and communications, training cooperation, and advancing cooperation between the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center and units under Russia’s Defense Ministry.

General Phan Van Giang thanked Russia’s Defence Ministry for allocating training quotas to Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense and affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to receive Russian military personnel for Vietnamese-language training and international defense officials’ courses at Vietnamese academies and schools.

During the talks, General Phan Van Giang also invited leaders of Russia’s Defence Ministry and Russian defence industry enterprises to attend and showcase products at the third Vietnam International Defense Expo in December 2026.

Following the talks, both sides  signed several important documents, providing a solid foundation for future cooperation.

The same day, General Phan Van Giang and his delegation laid flowers in tribute at the Ho Chi Minh Monument and planted a commemorative tree at the square bearing his name. The delegation also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.

Earlier, on May 20, Giang and his entourage visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow as part of the official visit to Russia. P

raising the embassy’s contributions to promoting Vietnam-Russia relations, General Phan Van Giang thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, including Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi, for their close coordination in bolstering defence cooperation between the two countries.

Giang expressed hope for continued support from the embassy to further deepen and consolidate Vietnam-Russia defense cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner, thereby contributing further to the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

PM Chinh meets President Putin as Russia pledges stronger cooperation with Vietnam

VOV.VN - Russia stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam across multiple fields and expand into areas in line with Vietnam’s development needs and Russia’s strengths, including new energy, green transition, digital transformation, healthcare and high-quality human resources training.