Hanoi (VNA) – A symposium on socio-economic and scientific and technological development of Vietnam in the 21st century in Russia has spotlighted broad prospects for cooperation between the two countries amid a rapidly evolving multipolar global order.
The seminar took place at the Institute of Oriental Studies (IOS) under the Russian Academy of Sciences, as part of the week-long international conference “The Sixth V.G. Rastyannikov's Readings: Potential of BRICS and partner countries in a changing global landscape” from March 23–30.
The event, came shortly after Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s successful visit to Russia, adding further relevance to the discussions. It drew a large number of Russian and Vietnamese scholars, both in person and online.
In his opening remarks, IOS Director Dr. Alikber Alikberov underscored the importance of in-depth research into Vietnam’s development model, affirming that Vietnam is not only a traditional strategic partner of Russia but also an important link in the economic and security architecture of the Asia-Pacific region.
The seminar brought together dozens of leading Vietnam studies experts from prominent Russian research institutions, featuring 12 in-depth presentations that offered multidimensional analyses of Vietnam’s recent transformations across sectors.
One of the key highlights was the presentation on Vietnam’s efforts towards strategic autonomy delivered by Prof. Dr. Vladimir Maryzin, Director of the Centre for Vietnamese and ASEAN Studies of the Far East Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The paper examined how Vietnam is adapting to evolving global economic fluctuations.
Meanwhile, Dr. Petr Tsvetov, a leading historian and expert at the same centre, provided a comprehensive analysis of Vietnam’s relations with major powers such as Russia, China, and the US under the leadership of Party General Secretary To Lam. His remarks highlighted Vietnam’s flexible and pragmatic foreign policy.
Regarding the bilateral cooperation, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the “Tradition and Friendship” Fund to promote the Russia – Vietnam cooperation, stressed that the bilateral relations are opening up new opportunities for cooperation, particularly in high-quality human resource training, science and technology transfer, logistics, and energy.
However, Hung said that the key to successful cooperation between the two countries lies in their ability to overcome infrastructure and legal barriers, ensure a stable investment environment, and safeguard intellectual property rights.
Many experts also addressed the current state of Russia – Vietnam relations and the impact of an emerging multipolar world on bilateral ties. Notably, some young Vietnamese delegates highlighted Vietnam’s role in expanding cooperation with the BRICS group as a potential driver in promoting a more equitable global order.
According to Pham Quang Truong Minh, a final-year master’s student in international economics at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, BRICS’s guiding principles, along with Russia’s 2023 foreign economic strategy, underscore multipolarity as an inevitable global trend. He observed that this vision aligns closely with Vietnam’s foreign policy, as both aim to maximise benefits across all global partnerships.
Minh described this as a unique window of opportunity for Vietnam to position itself as an important global pole, towards advancing self-reliance, localisation, technological autonomy, and promoting the application of artificial intelligence in production and business, creating new products and making inroads into new markets.
The seminar delivered a strong message on strengthening intellectual linkages, contributing to deepening the Russia – Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership in a more substantive, effective, and sustainable manner in the 21st century./.
