From October 15 to 17, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai accompanied Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son to attend the 8th Russian Energy Week Forum held in Moscow, the Russian Federation. The Vietnamese delegation also included senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies, as well as representatives from the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN) and Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

The Russian Energy Week Forum is an important annual international event organized by the government of the Russian Federation to discuss global energy trends, challenges, and opportunities for cooperation. This year’s theme, “Creating the Energy of the Future Together”, focused on sustainable energy development, green transition, energy security, and international collaboration in oil, LNG, and renewable energy sectors.

During the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son attended and delivered remarks at the high-level session on energy cooperation. Responding to a question from a Russian delegate about Vietnam’s plans to expand infrastructure and enhance its technical capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to strengthening substantive cooperation with the Russian Federation in the fields of energy, oil and gas, and energy transition, contributing to the consolidation of the Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Deputy PM Son noted that, under the national energy master plan and national power development plan to 2030, with a vision toward 2050, Vietnam aims to develop infrastructure capable of fully meeting domestic gas demand for power generation and industrial consumption. To supply fuel for 14 LNG-fired power plants with a combined capacity of about 25,000 MW, Vietnam’s LNG import demand is projected to reach approximately 18 - 20 million tonnes per year by 2030.

Vietnam is synchronously implementing investment and expansion of LNG terminal systems in line with the progress of gas-to-power projects, with 10 to 14 LNG terminal clusters planned. Priority is being given to developing centralized LNG hubs capable of supplying multiple nearby power plants. Investors are working actively to bring LNG-to-power projects into commercial operation between 2028 and 2030.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that LNG imports will be conducted in accordance with market mechanisms, based on commercial agreements between enterprises in line with Vietnamese law, to ensure competitiveness and diversify supply sources, thereby enhancing national energy security. Vietnam welcomes cooperation, exchange, and experience-sharing with Russian enterprises and other international partners in developing and operating LNG terminal infrastructure and the broader liquefied gas supply chain.

During his working trip, Deputy PM Bui Thanh Son also held bilateral meetings with senior leaders of several major Russian corporations and agencies, including Zarubezhneft, Novatek, and Rosatom.

In his meeting with Zarubezhneft Corporation, the Deputy PM welcomed the completion of procedures for the amended protocols to the intergovernmental agreements on the Vietsovpetro and Rusvietpetro joint ventures, as well as the entry into force of a new agreement to expand oil and gas cooperation. These developments provide an important legal foundation to strengthen and enhance the efficiency of oil and gas collaboration between the two countries in a new phase.

At the meeting with Novatek Corporation, both sides discussed prospects for expanding cooperation in the LNG sector, including the potential supply of LNG to Vietnam, joint development of LNG receiving and regasification infrastructure, and support for Vietnam’s efforts toward green energy transition and national energy security.

In talks with Rosatom Corporation, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son and the group’s leadership explored potential cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, human resource training, and the application of nuclear technology in industry and healthcare. Both sides agreed to continue discussions on the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant project and explore new forms of cooperation aligned with Vietnam’s energy development orientation.

Participation in the 8th Russian Energy Week Forum and the bilateral meetings on the sidelines served as an important occasion for Vietnam and the Russian Federation to further strengthen cooperation in the energy sector, contributing to the consolidation and deepening of the Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.