Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi (L) and other speakers at a plenary session of the international conference on Vietnam. Photo: VNA  

The Centre for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, held an international conference on Vietnam on February 12–13, during which scholars analysed the outcomes of the recent 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) through nearly 50 presentations.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi described the strong turnout, both in person and online, as clear evidence of the Russian academic community’s sustained interest in Vietnam and its development path. He highlighted that the 14th Party Congress adopted concrete development goals for 2030 and 2045, while articulating a long-term strategic vision for the country in a rapidly changing global environment.

Notably, the Congress reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, and proactive international integration. For the first time, Party documents emphasised the foreign policy and international integration, along with defence and security, are key and regular strategic tasks, reflecting an evolution in strategic thinking.

The depth of Vietnam–Russia ties was underscored by congratulations from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Party General Secretary To Lam via a phone call just one day after the Congress. The Russian President affirmed that Russia will continue to work closely with Vietnam to comprehensively strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of both peoples and contribute to stability and security in the Asia–Pacific region. For his part, General Secretary Lam reiterated that Vietnam has consistently regarded Russia as one of its most important and reliable strategic partners. He expressed a strong desire to further advance friendship and cooperation on the basis of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

On that basis, Ambassador Khoi voiced his hope that the academic community will continue formulating concrete policy recommendations to further consolidate and deepen the Vietnam–Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, thereby contributing to national development, prosperity and the well-being of the two peoples.

Most scholars at the conference focused on the new, outstanding and impactful elements highlighted in the Congress documents. Sergey Uyanaev, Deputy Director of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia highlighted the Congress’s ambition to elevate Vietnam into a leading high-tech and self-reliant economy.

He noted that Vietnam’s approach combines policy consistency with flexibility, creating conditions for a qualitative leap in development.

Professor Vladimir Mazyrin, Director of the Centre for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies, emphasised the significance of Vietnam’s long-term vision. He observed that if the country achieves developed-nation status within the next two decades, it could rank among the world’s top 20 economies by GDP, thereby enhancing its global standing.

Anton Bredikhin, Doctor of History at the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed optimism that implementing the Congress’s outcomes will open new opportunities for Vietnam–Russia cooperation. The conference was seen as an important step in generating policy-oriented research to support both countries’ development goals and deepen bilateral ties./.