Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin (centre) visits the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre. (Photo: VNA)  

Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin visited the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre in Hanoi on September 28 evening as part his two-day official visit to Vietnam.

On behalf of leaders of the Ministry of National Defence, Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, Chairman of the Vietnamese Subcommittee and Co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Coordination Committee on the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre, expressed his pleasure at welcoming Chairman Volodin and a high-ranking delegation of the Russian Federation to visit the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre, emphasising that the visit demonstrates the special interest of the State Duma in the activities of the centre.

Chien said that in September 2025, he and Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin co-chaired the 8th Defence Strategy Dialogue, while Nikolai Patrushev, Aide to the President of Russia and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia, also visited the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre. At the meetings, the two sides discussed many issues of defence cooperation between the two countries, including cooperation within the framework of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre.

The Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been increasingly deepened, becoming more substantial and effective in all fields, clearly demonstrated through high-level visits by the two countries' leaders, notably the visits to Vietnam by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2024 and by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in January 2025, and the visit and attendance at the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Russia by Party General Secretary To Lam in May 2025.

Within the framework of the Vietnamese Party chief’s visit, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on the major orientations of the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the new cooperation period, emphasising that "the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Centre is one of the bright spots of effective cooperation, serving the socio-economic development tasks of the two countries".

In the overall traditional friendship, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries has been concretised by the two governments, ministries and sectors through specific actions. Russia has sponsored the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre with two mobile testing vehicles to help improve the capacity of research, monitoring infectious diseases and responding to epidemic emergencies in Vietnam. Russia has also sponsored many modern equipments, helping to improve the scientific and technological potential of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre, including the marine research vessel "Professor Gagarinsky" to help the centre carry out in-depth research on ecology and biodiversity in deep sea and offshore areas.

In addition, the two sides are also promoting technology transfer activities, carrying out procedures to establish the Centre for Tropicalization, technical equipment and technology adaptation. These are breakthrough steps to promote the application and transfer of technology within the framework of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre.

Chien affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence highly appreciates the results achieved as well as the development potential and supports the expansion of cooperation between Vietnam and Russia within the framework of the centre.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence requested the Chairman of the State Duma to continue to pay attention to and direct the increase of Russian staff working regularly at the centre, and to continue investing in facilities so that the centre can meet the requirements of tasks and development directions in the new period.

Earlier, in the afternoon of the same day, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin visited the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi./.