General Secretary To Lam and his spouse depart from Minsk, returning to Viet Nam. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

The visits marked a significant milestone in the history of the close and trusted relations between Viet Nam and its traditional friends, elevating these relationships to a new level in line with the demands of the new era.

The year 2025 holds special significance for both Viet Nam and Kazakhstan, as the two countries established a strategic partnership during General Secretary To Lam’s visit to Kazakhstan, opening a new chapter in bilateral relations.

According to their joint statement, the top leaders of both nations agreed that strengthening and deepening the Viet Nam-Kazakhstan relationship is in the shared interests of their peoples and contributes to regional and global peace, stability, and development. The two sides agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and to continue fostering cooperation.

During the talks and meetings, leaders of both countries concurred that this new framework would further strengthen the current “five connections” between Viet Nam and Kazakhstan: people-to-people connection, economic connection, policy connection, transport connection, and inter-regional connection.

Viet Nam and Kazakhstan share many similarities in terms of geostrategic location, history of development, and culture, while both promote hospitality and solidarity. The respect and sincere feelings the people of the two countries have for each other surpass the geographical distance.

In his speech at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan, General Secretary To Lam emphasised the importance of strengthening Viet Nam-Kazakhstan ties in the current context.

He stated that amid global uncertainties, developing countries like Viet Nam and Kazakhstan must come closer and cooperate more closely to address shared challenges. Having both experienced the many upheavals of history, Viet Nam and Kazakhstan understand better than most the value of preserving peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

This serves as a solid foundation for Viet Nam and Azerbaijan to reinforce and expand their existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and to pave the way for the creation of new frameworks, thereby elevating the relationship both bilaterally and multilaterally.

In Azerbaijan, General Secretary To Lam and President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries, marking a historic milestone in their more than 30 years of shared development.

In Azerbaijan, General Secretary To Lam and President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries, marking a historic milestone in their more than 30 years of shared development.

General Secretary To Lam and President Ilham Aliyev underlined that the establishment of a strategic partnership provides the basis for further consolidating and expanding cooperation in the near future, enabling both countries to capitalise on each other’s strengths and grow together in the new era.

The Viet Nam-Azerbaijan relationship traces back to President Ho Chi Minh’s visit in 1959, before the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1992. They have since achieved significant cooperation, particularly in the energy sector. During this visit, General Secretary To Lam attended the inauguration of the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Room dedicated to the Viet Nam-Azerbaijan oil and gas industry at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University.

Highlighting Azerbaijan’s role as a cradle for training many of Viet Nam’s senior leaders and skilled workforce in the oil and gas industry, General Secretary To Lam expressed hope that the two countries would continue to uphold their longstanding friendship and realise President Ho Chi Minh’s vision of a strong and sustainable Vietnamese oil and gas sector, while deepening bilateral cooperation in this field. With the newly established strategic partnership, Viet Nam and Azerbaijan have every reason to be optimistic about a bright future of collaboration, not only in energy but across various sectors.

The official visit to the Russian Federation and attendance at the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War by General Secretary To Lam, his spouse, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation bore profound significance as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations and major milestones in each nation’s history.

The visit charted a course for taking the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia to new heights. It also strengthened the ties between the Communist Party of Viet Nam and major political parties in Russia, while opening new avenues for bilateral cooperation.

As part of the visit, General Secretary To Lam attended the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War at Red Square, honouring the enormous contributions and sacrifices of the former Soviet Union in defeating fascism and safeguarding global peace.

During talks between General Secretary To Lam and President Vladimir Putin, both leaders agreed to foster substantive and effective cooperation in areas such as science and technology, nuclear energy, biotechnology, semiconductors, digital infrastructure, and information. They also committed to implementing joint scientific research projects based on signed agreements.

On this occasion, Viet Nam and theRussian Federation issued a joint statement outlining the major orientations for their comprehensive strategic partnership in the new period. The statement set forth key directions for promoting and enhancing cooperation, strengthening the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership, for the long-term benefit of the peoples of both countries, and for peace, security, and sustainable development in the region and across the world.

The joint statement stressed the two sides’ determination to build on the achievements of the past 75 years, capitalise on the potential, advantages, and existing opportunities for bilateral cooperation, and uphold the tradition of friendship to elevate the Viet Nam–Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a new qualitative level. Governments and relevant agencies of both countries signed legal documents and cooperation agreements to strengthen the legal foundation for advancing bilateral relations across multiple sectors.

In talks between Party General Secretary To Lam and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, the two leaders signed a Joint Declaration on the establishment of the Viet Nam–Belarus Strategic Partnership.

The Joint Declaration affirms that, under the framework of this Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and Belarus will continue to deepen cooperation across multiple fields, with the aim of safeguarding national interests for the peoples of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in the region and around the world.

At meetings with Belarusian leaders, Party General Secretary To Lam reaffirmed that Viet Nam has always attached great importance to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belarus, a relationship laid by President Ho Chi Minh and Belarusian leaders and strengthened through the struggles for national liberation and reunification, as well as throughout the process of national development. Viet Nam considers Belarus a key partner in the region and aspires to further advance this relationship for the benefit of both nations.

Building upon a long-standing tradition of friendship and cooperation, Viet Nam is working to elevate its relations with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus to new heights. This mission by Party General Secretary To Lam, accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, carries a powerful message of steadfast loyalty and enduring friendship from Viet Nam to its traditional partners, alongside a shared determination to further deepen political trust and multifaceted cooperation for the common benefit of their peoples.