Vietnam's Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh held talks with Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, in Hanoi on September 17.4Highlighting Vietnam’s important role in Asia’s shipbuilding industry, Mr. Patrushev noted that Russia and Vietnam have significant potential for cooperation in shipbuilding, maritime affairs, and trade.

He expressed Russia’s desire for Vietnamese enterprises to participate in the Northern Sea Route—a strategic maritime corridor connecting Europe and Asia via the Arctic Ocean—which helps reduce transportation time and costs.

Additionally, Russia hopes to collaborate with Vietnam on research and development for new shipyards, modernization of existing shipbuilding facilities, and the establishment of research and testing laboratories in the shipbuilding sector.

Mr. Patrushev stressed that maritime cooperation is a key pillar in the strategic comprehensive partership between the two countries. He expressed confidence that the meeting and discussions with Minister Tran Hong Minh and leaders of the Ministry of Construction would open new opportunities for both sides to advance joint cooperation programs in the near future.

Also attending the meeting, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade A. Karimov proposed expanding bilateral cooperation in areas such as robotics, communications, biology, geology, and oil pipeline manufacturing. He also extended an invitation for Vietnam to participate in the NEVA Exhibition and Conference.

Meanwhile, representatives of Russian corporations and enterprises such as FESCO and Delo shared the results of cooperation between the two sides in the field of transport and logistics, and expressed their desire to promote cooperation with Vietnam in shipbuilding, transport and logistics, logistics infrastructure, as well as strengthening the legal framework for bilateral training and research.

Minister Minh proposed that the Russian Federation cooperate and participate in building shipbuilding industrial parks in Vietnam; welcomed Russian investors to research and participate in investing in Vietnam's seaport system in accordance with current Vietnamese regulations and commitments to market opening in the WTO.

“The two sides need to encourage and create conditions for Vietnamese and Russian businesses to expand transport and logistics activities, especially the Vietnam - Vladivostok container route; FESCO and Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) research the possibility of establishing a joint venture to exploit transport routes connecting Vietnam and Russia; coordinate the exchange of crew and ship data to implement administrative reform, full online procedures in accordance with the International Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL 65); and the Russian side supports the development and organization of short-term and long-term capacity building training programs,” said the minister.

He spoke highly of the North-South International Transport Corridor initiative proposed by the Russian Federation and commented that participation in the North-South International Transport Corridor Project would open up new opportunities for Vietnamese goods to find new markets, and assigned the Vietnam Maritime Administration to lead the research on the possibility of participating in the Project.