Relationship dossier
Russia
Vietnam
Relationship assessment
A close strategic partnership built on defense, energy and sustained high-level engagement
Russia toward Vietnam
+60Russia has supplied Vietnam with major military equipment and cooperated in bilateral oil and gas projects. These concrete defense and energy ties, alongside the strategic partnership, reflect sustained Russian engagement with Vietnam.
Vietnam toward Russia
+55Vietnam has maintained high-level bilateral engagement with Russia, including hosting President Vladimir Putin in June 2024. It has continued ties despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and abstained on several related UN votes, while avoiding full alignment with Russia.
Overall relationship
+60The relationship has a durable strategic framework supported by extensive defense ties, energy cooperation and sustained senior-level engagement. Vietnam’s continued engagement with Russia during the war in Ukraine reinforces the partnership, although Vietnam’s broader policy of diversifying its international relationships limits the extent of alignment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Russia and Vietnam maintain a close strategic partnership shaped by longstanding defense ties and cooperation in energy. Russia has supplied Vietnam with major military equipment and participates in bilateral oil and gas projects. Vietnam has sustained high-level engagement with Russia and continued bilateral ties despite international pressure following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including abstaining on several related UN votes. The relationship is substantial, though Vietnam also pursues a diversified foreign policy.
Key developments
Russia and Vietnam established a strategic partnership.
The two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnam hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit.
Major uncertainties
- The current scale and implementation of defense and energy cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which Vietnam's relations with Russia may change as it diversifies its external partnerships is uncertain.