Comrades Trần Hồng Hà, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister and Trần Quốc Cường, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee, attended the forum.

In his opening speech, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà emphasized that, true to the tradition of “when drinking water, remember its source,” Vietnam will always cherish and appreciate the immense and heartfelt support that the Soviet people in the past and the Russian people today have extended to Vietnam during its difficult years of struggle for independence, as well as in its current process of nation-building and defense.

Vietnam consistently attaches great importance to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the Russian Federation, identifying it as one of the highest priorities in its foreign policy. With a strong political foundation and the determination of senior leaders, both countries will continue to write new chapters in their shared history, making important contributions to peace and stability in the region and around the world.

Against this backdrop, the organization of the First Vietnam-Russia People’s Forum holds particularly important significance. The forum not only represents a practical contribution of people-to-people diplomacy to the implementation of the major directions of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership but also opens a new chapter and establishes an effective dialogue mechanism to further deepen mutual understanding and trust between the peoples of the two countries. It will serve as a venue where people from all walks of life, experts, intellectuals, and especially the younger generations of both nations can present practical initiatives to enrich and expand the substance of bilateral relations.

Addressing the forum, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko highlighted the vital role of people-to-people diplomacy in strengthening understanding, building trust, and enhancing friendship and cooperation between the peoples of both countries. He affirmed that the Russian Federation attaches great importance to such diplomacy, as it helps unleash the creative potential of the people, promotes grassroots initiatives, and enhances citizens’ role in addressing urgent global issues while fostering closer ties among nations and peoples.

The Russian Federation particularly underlined the key role of friendship associations in promoting multifaceted relations between Russia and Vietnam. Over the decades, these associations have ensured effective cooperation between leading scientific centers, universities, cultural and sports institutions, women’s organizations, youth and student groups, trade unions, professional associations, businesses, and the media. The forum, he said, would help sustain an atmosphere of friendship, trust, and mutual understanding between the two nations’ peoples.

Presenting his remarks at the forum, Mr. Đỗ Xuân Hoàng, Chairman of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Russia, noted that the most valuable asset of bilateral ties is the strong foundation of friendship that both sides have diligently built over more than three-quarters of a century. He stressed that Vietnam and Russia still have much room and many opportunities for cooperation in areas such as trade, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, mining, healthcare, and education, and that both countries should work to realize this potential.

The Vietnam-Russia People’s Forum is scheduled to take place over one and a half days, featuring thematic sessions on the history and achievements in building and developing bilateral relations, as well as on potential and opportunities for cooperation in specific fields in the new context. Within the framework of the forum, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities of both countries will also be promoted.