Vietnam Hosts Moscow Days
Moscow Days took place in Vietnam from November 30 to December 3. Events were held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The organizer was the Department for External Economic and International Relations. Moscow Days featured both business events and a cultural program.
As part of Moscow Days, business forums were held on December 1 in Hanoi and December 3 in Ho Chi Minh City, timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Vietnam. Participants included Sergey Cheremin, Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations; Gennady Bezdetko, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Vietnam; and other officials. In his address, Cheremin emphasized the long‑standing friendly ties between Moscow and Hanoi: “We cooperate in all areas of municipal relations, including education and healthcare. We exchange experience in transport system development and infrastructure modernization, and we hold numerous cultural events.” Vietnam and Moscow regularly exchange delegations.
The Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations highlighted cultural and humanitarian cooperation as a key area: “Moscow took part in the ‘Friendship Dialogue’ forum in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as in celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification – once again underscoring our deep respect for historical memory and the preservation of our national values,” the Minister said. “We implemented a very interesting project in Moscow as part of cultural and business cooperation – the Hanoi‑Moscow Centre. I hope that in the near future we will begin work on building a Moscow House in Hanoi.” Moscow also intends to develop relations not only with the capital but with other Vietnamese cities, with Cheremin announcing that a cooperation program with Ho Chi Minh City will be prepared and signed in the near future.
In 2024, foreign economic ties between Moscow and Vietnamese partners grew by nearly 30%. Vietnam’s imports to Moscow are dominated by electronics, equipment, clothing, and food products, while Moscow exports chemical and pharmaceutical products, metals, and energy equipment. The Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations presented Moscow’s investment potential to Vietnamese colleagues. He noted that accumulated foreign investment in Moscow now stands at $250 billion. “Moscow offers a vast array of business support measures – more than 150 today. We offer our foreign investors a number of competitive advantages. Moscow is not only the largest urban agglomeration in Eastern Europe but also a gateway to the Commonwealth of Independent States, with a population of over 200 million. Investors in Moscow have equal access to highly skilled labour and scientific and educational potential,” Sergey Cheremin said.
Over the past ten years, industrial production in the Russian capital has almost doubled. Sectors such as mechanical engineering, equipment manufacturing, computers, electronics, optics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace are growing particularly rapidly. “We are among the world’s leading megacities in terms of the number of technology parks, innovation clusters, and industrial clusters. Today, Moscow is Russia’s most important investment hub,” the Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations shared. The Minister also spoke about current digital projects in the capital, covering all areas of urban life – the urban economy, city management, security, education, healthcare, and transport.
During the plenary session, Nguyen Manh Quyen, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, confirmed Hanoi’s interest in working with Russia, and especially its capital, in high technology. “Russian IT enterprises can cooperate with Vietnam in developing network security software, digital transformation, data centres, and artificial intelligence,” he said. Other promising areas include trade, tourism, and sustainable development projects. Cao Thi Phi Van, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, also expressed readiness to work with the Russian capital.
Representatives of Moscow’s prefectures presented the economic potential and infrastructure development of the metropolis to the Vietnamese audience. They shared effective practices used in the Russian capital and highlighted projects in healthcare, labour, and social protection. Representatives of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, in turn, presented their own municipal governance solutions.
The business forums contributed to the development of trade, economic, and investment cooperation. Alexander Lazarev, First Deputy Head of the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights in Moscow, outlined the conditions Moscow is ready to offer international businesses. A pitch session was held between participating companies, with Moscow businesses presenting solutions in aviation commerce, engineering systems, and multimedia data processing. The sessions concluded with networking, allowing Moscow companies to directly connect with potential Vietnamese partners.
During Moscow Days, a Cooperation Program between the Government of Moscow and the Hanoi People’s Committee for 2025‑2027 was signed. At the signing, the Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations noted that foreign economic ties between the Russian capital and Vietnam have been growing rapidly in recent years. Foreign trade turnover between Moscow enterprises and Vietnamese partners reached about $2.5 billion last year. “Moscow actively supports not only Russian but also foreign investors and entrepreneurs, including our Vietnamese colleagues,” the Minister emphasized. “Today, megacities face serious challenges in their development. Both Moscow and Hanoi must ensure the sustainable and harmonious development of our cities, create a comfortable and safe urban environment, provide social guarantees to our populations, and continue to develop healthcare, education, and culture.” The new cooperation program covers key areas such as investment, tourism, transport, municipal governance, and more. “Our interregional cooperation is a significant contribution to the development of relations and strategic partnership between our countries,” the Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations stated. At the signing, Nguyen Manh Quyen, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, remarked: “It is a great honour and sincere pleasure for me to welcome your delegation to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, following our last meeting in May 2025 in Moscow during the working visit of the Hanoi delegation. Your presence here today is yet another testament to the traditional friendship and warm, trusting relations between our two capitals – Hanoi and Moscow.”
Moscow Days in Vietnam featured an extensive cultural program. Audiences warmly received a performance by the Moscow Cossack Choir in Hanoi at an open‑air venue by Hoan Kiem Lake, where the ensemble presented ancient Cossack songs. Moscow opera singers and musicians performed classical masterpieces for Vietnamese audiences on December 2 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi and on December 3 in Ho Chi Minh City. Moscow also brought photo exhibitions to Vietnam, capturing the image of a city where buildings from different eras coexist in harmony, as well as telling the story of relations between Moscow and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. These events served as a vivid expression of cultural exchange between Russia and Vietnam.
Moscow Days in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City opened up new avenues for cooperation. The cities plan to strengthen interaction in areas such as urban environment modernization, digital technology, business and investment, tourism, education, and healthcare. Moscow and Vietnamese business representatives exchanged experience and discussed future formats for cooperation. The cultural program made a significant contribution to bringing Moscow and the cities of Vietnam closer together.