Vietnam Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng leads delegation to ASEAN‑Russia summit in Kazan

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng departed Hanoi on 16 June aboard a Vietjet flight with a senior Vietnamese delegation to attend the high‑level summit in Kazan commemorating 35 years of ASEAN‑Russia relations. The visit, his first as prime minister to the Russian Federation, included a meeting with Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, who highlighted the republic’s key industries – Kamaz trucks, chemicals, civil aircraft, petrochemicals, textiles and wood products – and expressed interest in expanding ties with Vietnamese regions and opening a Vietnamese consulate in Kazan.

At the ASEAN‑Russia Business Forum, Lê Minh Hưng opened the event, urging ASEAN and Russia to build more resilient, flexible supply chains and to develop transport links between Far‑East Russia and Southeast Asia. He proposed that energy, especially clean energy, LNG, hydrogen and offshore wind, become a pillar of future cooperation and stressed the role of technology, innovation and digital transformation as new growth drivers.

The prime minister also met senior executives of Russian nuclear and energy firms, including Rosatom’s director‑general A. Likhachev and the head of Zarubezhneft, discussing progress on the Ninh Thuận I nuclear power project and broader nuclear‑energy collaboration. Vietnamese‑Russian business chambers signed memoranda of understanding to support trade, investment and joint research.

Overall, the trip affirmed Vietnam’s position as a bridge between ASEAN and Russia, seeking to deepen strategic partnership, diversify supply chains, and expand cooperation in energy, industry and technology.