Azerbaija, Vietnam take friendship to new heights with top-level state visit Article by Vietnamplus

As Azerbaijan prepares to welcome the Vietnamese delegation, including General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, the Vietnamese media have been eager to cover the significance of this state visit.

The official visit, scheduled for May 7-8, 2025, comes at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev and marks a historic moment in the bilateral relationship between Azerbaijan and Vietnam.

According to the Vietnamese media outlet Vietnamplus, this is the first visit by a Vietnamese General Secretary to Azerbaijan since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992. It also represents the highest-level diplomatic exchange between the two nations in the past decade.

This visit reflects the enduring friendship between the people of Vietnam and Azerbaijan, a bond that has been nurtured through decades of shared history. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on September 23, 1992, and since then, there have been a series of high-level exchanges. The ties between the two nations were initially fostered by the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan. Over time, these connections have grown stronger, transcending geographic distances and overcoming historical challenges.

The upcoming visit is seen as a reaffirmation of these long-standing relations. It is also viewed as an opportunity to raise bilateral ties to a new level, especially in terms of cooperation in trade, economy, technology, and education. Vietnamese media reports highlight that the visit is expected to boost diplomatic and economic cooperation between the two countries and open the door for new areas of collaboration.

The visit is also seen as a further sign of the deepening ties between the two nations, which continue to expand across different sectors. On the Vietnamese side, official visits have included Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang's trip to Azerbaijan in May 2015, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh's participation in the 2019 Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Azerbaijan, and the 2024 meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during the BRICS summit in Kazan. Azerbaijan’s diplomatic exchanges with Vietnam have been equally significant, including visits by President Ilham Aliyev to Vietnam in 2014 and several other key visits by Azerbaijani officials, including then-Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in September 2017 and Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov in July 2022.

A pivotal part of this visit will focus on strengthening economic and trade cooperation. The two countries have already witnessed a steady increase in trade relations. In 2022, bilateral trade reached 702.5 million USD, while the figure stood at approximately 250 million USD in 2023. By the first quarter of 2025, the total trade volume surpassed 100 million USD. Vietnamese exports to Azerbaijan mainly consist of computers, phones, and seafood, while Azerbaijan exports crude oil and petroleum products to Vietnam.

Trade relations have grown dynamically in recent years, as both countries work to expand cooperation in areas such as oil and gas, agriculture, tourism, defence, and culture. As both countries look to explore new avenues of economic cooperation, both governments have expressed interest in enhancing the use of the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission, which has already held two sessions, the last of which took place in July 2018 in Azerbaijan.

In addition to economic relations, there is significant potential for collaboration in defence, science and technology, education, and culture. Vietnamese media have also highlighted the role that education plays in strengthening ties between the two countries. In the Soviet period, Azerbaijan played a key role in assisting Vietnam with educational training, particularly in fields like oil and gas. This educational cooperation continues to thrive, with several Vietnamese students currently studying in Azerbaijan, especially in areas related to the oil and gas industry and international relations.

Both countries are looking to expand their relationship further, with a particular focus on expanding direct passenger and cargo flights between major tourist cities. Regional cooperation between Vietnam’s Ha Giang province and Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar district is also growing, opening up new opportunities for economic and cultural exchange.

Through this visit, both Azerbaijan and Vietnam aim to continue their tradition of cooperation and build an even stronger partnership for the future. As Vietnam and Azerbaijan look forward to furthering their friendship, the visit of General Secretary To Lam to Baku stands as a clear testament to the deep and enduring bond between the two countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova