- Minister, could you elaborate on the important and outstanding outcomes achieved during the State visit to the Russian Federation, the official visit to France and participation in the World Space Summit by Party General Secretary and President To Lam?

Minister Le Hoai Trung: At the invitations of Russian President V. Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, Party General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation paid a State visit to the Russian Federation, an official visit to France and attended the World Space Summit from September 7-12, 2026.

This was the first visit by Party General Secretary and President To Lam to the two countries in his new capacity following the successful organization of the 14th National Party Congress, the election of the 16th National Assembly and the election of People's Councils at all levels for the 2026 - 2031 term. The visits were of historic significance, as this was the first State visit to the Russian Federation by the head of the Party and State of Viet Nam since 1991 and the second official visit to France by the Party General Secretary and President. It was also the second time that the head of the Party and State of Viet Nam attended an international event hosted by France, and notably, the summit was the world's first summit at the head-of-state level dedicated to outer space.

The visits were highly successful, achieving comprehensive results and meeting the set objectives and requirements at a high level, with many substantive and important outcomes for Viet Nam's relations with its partners as well as the country's development in the new period.

Both countries extended a highly respectful and warm welcome to the Party General Secretary and President and the delegation, with a number of special ceremonies, demonstrating their particular regard for relations with Viet Nam, as well as for the Party and State leaders, the Vietnamese people and Party General Secretary and President To Lam.

In both countries, the General Secretary and President engaged in a wide range of activities, including talks, meetings and exchanges with the highest-ranking leaders, representatives of political parties, leaders from various sectors, business communities, scholars, science and technology professionals and the education sector, as well as Vietnamese communities in the two countries. Leaders of ministries, sectors and localities accompanying the delegation also held effective and substantive working sessions with their counterparts in both countries.

One particularly notable aspect of this high-level diplomatic activity was the very high degree of consensus reached by Party General Secretary and President To Lam and the leaders of the Russian Federation and France on matters of common interest and concern, the positive outcomes achieved in bilateral relations and future directions. This helped Vietnamese leaders and the leaders of the two countries deepen mutual understanding amid new demands arising from the international and regional situation for Viet Nam, the Russian Federation and France, while consolidating the high level of political trust established following the historic visits by the Party General Secretary and President to France in October 2024 and Russia in May 2025.

In addition to enhancing mutual understanding and strengthening political relations, another important outcome was the high degree of consensus among the senior leaders of Viet Nam, Russia and France, who engaged in in-depth discussions on how to effectively implement agreements reached in the fields of economy, trade, investment, science and technology, and education and training, thereby opening up new avenues for cooperation in these areas.

Although the visit by the Party General Secretary and President was relatively short, a wide range of cooperation programs were implemented and highly valued and acknowledged by both sides in the joint statements between Viet Nam and Russia and between Viet Nam and France, as well as in bilateral exchanges at business forums, science and technology forums and cooperation documents signed by the two sides.

Viet Nam and the Russian Federation, as well as Viet Nam and France, can fully capitalize on their cooperation potential to meet the requirements and interests of each side. In trade and investment, Viet Nam, Russia and France all recognized that two-way trade and investment flows need to increase further to match the framework of their comprehensive strategic partnerships, as well as their respective potential and strengths. In particular, the two sides reached a high degree of consensus on science and technology, with both France and Russia agreeing to identify this as a new breakthrough area in their cooperation with Viet Nam.

The Party General Secretary and President underscored the need to change the way of thinking and adopt new approaches to cooperation, a view that received strong support from the leaders of both countries. The approach should no longer focus simply on how much Viet Nam purchases from other countries, or vice versa, or on technology transfer alone. Instead, Viet Nam should work together with Russia and France to co-produce, conduct joint research and develop joint products, while strengthening linkages and connecting joint supply chains between Viet Nam and Russia and between Viet Nam and France. This is highly important thinking that will provide direction for cooperation between Viet Nam and Russia and France in the coming period.

Another significant and important point is that, through meetings and exchanges, the countries gained a clear understanding of Viet Nam's current approach and agreed to work together to implement it. The Party General Secretary and President affirmed that the Vietnamese leadership and Government would direct the resolution of each project, addressing any obstacles and difficulties that may arise, thereby achieving concrete results and focusing on new directions.

The development of cooperative relations between Viet Nam and Russia and between Viet Nam and France will not only contribute to the implementation of Viet Nam's socio-economic and science and technology development objectives in the coming period. As both countries are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and have important positions and voices, stronger relations with them will help Viet Nam successfully implement the foreign policy set out by the 14th National Party Congress, enhance Viet Nam's international standing, strengthen its external relations in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, bring common benefits, and consolidate peace, stability and cooperation in the region and globally.

Regarding the World Space Summit in France, French leaders, other countries and international organizations highly valued the participation of the Party General Secretary and President and his important address. Outer space is now not only a matter of science but also a new space for development, to which the Party and State of Viet Nam attach great importance and which they seek to leverage for national development. France has substantial potential and strengths in science, applications and businesses operating in the space sector.

- Minister, what significance do these outcomes hold for Viet Nam - Russia and Viet Nam - France relations? What will the two sides do to effectively implement the outcomes achieved during the visits?

Minister Le Hoai Trung: To effectively implement the outcomes achieved during the visits, Viet Nam and its partners will continue to work closely in the following tasks in the coming period:

First, agreements reached at the senior level will be urgently translated into specific programs, plans and projects. Ministries, sectors, localities, agencies and businesses of Viet Nam and the partner countries need to closely coordinate in developing and implementing action programs based on the shared understandings and high-level agreements, clearly defining the tasks, timelines, focal points, responsibilities and deliverables, with the practical interests of the people and businesses of both sides as the objective and effectiveness and concrete results as the benchmark.

Second, existing cooperation mechanisms will be fully leveraged. Viet Nam and its partners need to strengthen regular reviews, promptly address difficulties, closely monitor the implementation of high-level agreements already reached, and continue coordinating to improve and upgrade legal frameworks, thereby facilitating key cooperation projects in strategic areas.

Third, priority will be given to strategic and flagship projects. With Russia, priorities include the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant, oil and gas, energy, railway and logistics projects, while also promoting joint research programs, technology transfer and human resources training. With France, Viet Nam needs to continue effectively implementing the EVFTA, proactively address bottlenecks in trade, investment, market connectivity, logistics and supply chains, and create conditions for businesses to participate more deeply in specific projects. The implementation process must ensure harmonized interests, compliance with the law, quality, safety and long-term effectiveness.

Fourth, coordination will be strengthened at international and regional forums, particularly the United Nations, ASEAN and multilateral forums in which Viet Nam and its partners jointly participate, thereby contributing to promoting multilateralism and dialogue, building trust, respecting international law, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development. As a member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), Viet Nam wishes to strengthen cooperation with member states, including Russia and France, in the space sector, contributing to promoting the peaceful use of outer space for sustainable development.

In the coming period, under the direction of the Governments of the two countries, together with the efforts of the relevant agencies on both sides and based on shared understanding of the orientations for developing bilateral relations, I am confident that Viet Nam and its partners will maximize their potential, effectively capitalize on opportunities and bring bilateral relations into a new period of increasingly strong and effective development. This will contribute to the development of each country, better meet the needs and aspirations of the peoples of the two countries, and serve peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

* Headline rewritten by Viet Nam Economic News.