Viet Nam-Russia Friendship Association: External Communications Amplified Through Practical Actions
	VUFO Proactive and Effective in High-level Diplomatic Activities in Viet Nam

Opening a new chapter in Viet Nam-Europe people-to-people relations

In the landscape of modern diplomacy, Viet Nam-Europe people-to-people cooperation holds a special place: a bridge between hearts and minds, between a history of solidarity and a future shaped by innovation. Under the guidance of the Party and the State, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member system have carried out multidimensional, knowledge-rich activities that connect experts, scholars, young intellectuals, businesses, and the Vietnamese community in Europe. While previous efforts focused primarily on delegation exchanges and cultural interactions to strengthen mutual understanding, today the approach has expanded and elevated: from cultural exchange to knowledge cooperation, from mutual understanding to co-creating the future.

The signing of a cooperation agreement between the Viet Nam Sports Administration, the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, and the Francophone Sports Association. (Photo source: Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association).

In France, following the official visit of the General Secretary and President To Lam, which elevated Viet Nam-France relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024, a dynamic series of people-to-people activities has been activated by the Association. The signing of a Letter of Intent between the VNVC Vaccination System and Sanofi opened a path for high-tech vaccine production cooperation in Viet Nam, a clear example of people-to-people diplomacy linked to science and technology collaboration. The France-Viet Nam Medical Federation, in coordination with Ha Noi Medical University, continues to maintain the annual France-Viet Nam Medical Forum, connecting hundreds of specialists in training, technical transfer, and French-language teaching in medical fields. The seminar Viet Nam-France Health Cooperation: Towards More Effective Partnership and Friendship for Public Health, organized by the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, provided a platform for experts and researchers to review cooperation outcomes and identify new needs in workforce training, joint research, vaccine and pharmaceutical collaboration, digital health, and applications of artificial intelligence. At the same time, the Viet Nam-France Friendship Association has promoted innovation-focused discussions with young entrepreneurs, students, and young scientists living and working in France. Beyond healthcare, people-to-people diplomacy has flexibly responded to practical needs and the potential strengths of partners, spearheading efforts to encourage French partners to establish the Francophone Sports Association. On 26 May 2025, a trilateral Cooperation Memorandum was signed between the Viet Nam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, the Department of Physical Training and Sports, and the Francophone Sports Association to strengthen expert exchanges, advanced training, and the promotion of high-performance sports, preparing athletes for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, with the aim of winning medals. Five months later, the first group of Vietnamese track-and-field and fencing athletes arrived in Normandy, France for intensive training with French experts, applying modern techniques of French athletics.

In Germany, the Viet Nam-Germany Friendship Association and long-standing partners continue to maintain exchanges, visits, charitable activities, scholarships, and community projects. The 40th anniversary celebration of the Association in Ha Noi in 2025, attended by Government leaders and the German Ambassador, affirmed the enduring solidarity between the two peoples; the quiet yet profound contributions of German friends continue to generate humanitarian value and strategic trust.

With the United Kingdom, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Viet Nam-UK Friendship Association coordinated with the UK Embassy to organize a series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, highlighted by the Commemoration Ceremony featuring a performance by the British military band. From cultural understanding activities, Viet Nam-UK people-to-people relations have been significantly expanded through NGOs, the Viet-UK Network connecting experts in various fields - especially finance, economics, and technology. The organization Facing the World has cooperated with the Viet Nam-UK Friendship Association and several Vietnamese hospitals to carry out humanitarian craniofacial surgeries and transfer medical techniques to Vietnamese doctors. Youth-oriented activities such as the Speak Now competition, career fairs for former overseas students, and the Viet Nam-UK Economic Forum connecting economists, researchers, and academics demonstrate that people-to-people diplomacy is not only about friendly ties but also about creating opportunities and sharing knowledge.

At the local level, the Union and friendship associations, in cooperation with European embassies, have brought advanced technological and governance models to Vietnamese localities in need. The international conference on smart cities in Da Nang gathered ambassadors and experts from Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, the UK, and Ireland, creating a platform to share planning and smart-city management experiences toward sustainable development. A seminar on open innovation and startup ecosystems provided updated perspectives from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Finland, Russia, and Armenia. The Viet Nam-Poland, Viet Nam-Finland, and Viet Nam-Netherlands friendship associations continue expanding cooperation spaces, connecting foreign experts with Vietnamese enterprises, research institutes, and educational institutions to harness each country’s science and technology strengths for mutually beneficial projects in education, geology, environment, green transition, and clean energy. From academic exchanges to local-level implementation, a broad connecting network has been woven, carrying both humanitarian value and foundations for sustainable development.

From knowledge connection to technology partnership: an essential direction for people-to-people diplomacy

Beyond Western and Northern Europe, Viet Nam’s people-to-people cooperation trajectory continues to expand and gain substance with the Russian Federation, a comprehensive strategic partner. This is not a separate chapter but a logical continuation of the trend from emotional exchanges to knowledge cooperation and co-creation of technology. In this spirit, the First Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum, held in Ha Noi from 30 September to 02 October 2025, added a crucial missing link to the knowledge and technology cooperation ring of people-to-people diplomacy, creating natural connectivity among knowledge centers across Europe.

A seminar on science and technology at the Viet Nam–Russia Peoples Forum. At the event, the Cancer Research Center signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Friendship Hospital. (Photo: Nguyen Thi Thu Giang).

The First Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum brought together more than 250 delegates from both countries, including scientists and technology engineers from universities, applied research, and development centers. Speaking at the Forum, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that the Forum would become a new, effective, and annual dialogue mechanism, and that the people-to-people channel plays a vital role in transforming strategic trust into practical cooperation, especially in science, technology, and high-quality human-resource training.

The Forum focused on promoting connections among scientists and expanding institutional cooperation in priority fields such as advanced medicine, artificial intelligence, smart environment, and digital transformation. The Viet Nam-Russia Tropical Center model continued to be recognized as a symbol of sustainable scientific cooperation; Saint Petersburg’s AI-integrated environmental monitoring solutions were proposed for research and application in Viet Nam.

Alongside this, cultural and educational exchanges, museum cooperation, Vietnamese language teaching, Viet Nam studies, and youth-artist-researcher connections helped enhance mutual understanding. In economic and innovation cooperation, both sides expressed the desire to expand partnership in the green economy, energy, and new technologies.

Viet Nam-Russia people-to-people cooperation not only deepens traditional friendship but also adds an important link to Viet Nam’s knowledge and technology cooperation space across Europe and Eurasia, reaffirming the trend of people-to-people diplomacy associated with science and technology in the new period.

In the context of global digital transformation and the rise of science and technology diplomacy, Viet Nam-Europe people-to-people cooperation is transitioning from emotional connection to cooperation in knowledge, science, technology, and innovation. Networks of experts, scholars, NGOs, universities, and research institutes are opening substantial cooperation pathways in healthcare, education, biotechnology, renewable energy, smart-city governance, and digital transformation. As Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, emphasized, people-to-people diplomacy is not only a bridge of hearts but also a conduit for knowledge, creativity, and shared development opportunities. From Paris, Berlin, London, and Helsinki to Warsaw, encounters among scientists, scholars, and people’s organizations have helped translate State-level commitments into concrete actions at the people’s level - where projects, initiatives, and cooperative models are nurtured by trust and friendship.

Overall, people-to-people diplomacy activities with France, Germany, the UK, Finland, Poland, the Netherlands, and the First Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum are converging into a knowledge and technology cooperation ring of Viet Nam’s people-to-people diplomacy. From cultural exchanges to scholar networks, from local cooperation to high-tech projects, from education and arts to digital economy and innovation, the people-to-people channel has shifted from emotional connection to technological cooperation, contributing to strengthening the soft power of a knowledge-based, innovative, and integrated nation. On this foundation, Viet Nam expands the scope of cooperation, mobilizes international knowledge and technology resources effectively, and gradually transforms goodwill commitments into tangible projects that serve sustainable national development in the digital era.

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