Vietnam and Russia designate 2026 as Year of Science and Education Cooperation

Vietnam and Russia have designated 2026 as the Year of Science and Education Cooperation to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership. This initiative builds on long-standing ties in training scientific, technical, and management personnel.

Key frameworks supporting this cooperation include a 2024 agreement on higher education and a 2025 agreement regarding the A.X. Pushkin Russian Language Center. Russia continues to provide significant educational support, offering 1,000 annual scholarships for Vietnamese citizens to pursue undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies, as well as internships.

Scientific collaboration remains a cornerstone of the relationship, particularly in fundamental research areas such as mathematics, mechanics, materials science, chemistry, and biotechnology. A notable area of ongoing cooperation is marine research; between 2005 and 2025, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted nine joint surveys in Vietnamese waters using the research vessel ‘Oparin’ to study biodiversity, marine ecology, and microplastics.