Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, will pay an official visit to Vietnam on October 15-16 at the invitation of Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue.

Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Photo: Duma

The news has been released by the National Assembly’s Committee of Foreign Affairs. 

The visit comes as Vietnam and Russia celebrate the 10th anniversary of the two countries' upgrading of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Volodin’s agenda is expected to include meetings with the NA’s leaders and the second meeting of the Vietnam-Russia interparliamentary commission on cooperation between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma.

Vyacheslav Volodin’s previous official visit to Vietnam took place in December 2018 at the invitation of former NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. One year later, Ngan paid a return visit to Moscow, where the first meeting of the interparliamentary commission on cooperation between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma was held.

Vietnam and Russia maintain a close relationship with the exchange visits of high-ranking officials. In May 2023, Chairman of the United Russia Party Dmitry Medvedev visited Vietnam and met with top leaders, including General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

The two sides issued a joint statement outlining the outcomes of Medvedev’s official visit to Vietnam, including improving cooperation on regional and global issues and ultimately strengthening ties between the two countries.

Russia upgraded its relationship with Vietnam to a strategic partnership in March 2001, making it the first nation to do so. This has strengthened their relationship.

Vietnam and Russia agreed to support each other as strategic partners in defense and security, trade, investment, education, health, and general economic development.

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, the strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam was an inevitable outcome of many years of productive cooperation between the two nations.