Vietnam and Sakha Republic pledge closer ties at Vladivostok forum

Vietnam and Sakha Republic pledge closer ties at Vladivostok forum

Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan has held talks with the head of the Republic of Sakha, a republic of Russia, on the sidelines of the 2026 Eastern Economic Forum, reaffirming Vietnam's commitment to strengthening cooperation with Russian localities.

Photo: Nguyen Viet Cuong

The meeting took place in Vladivostok on September 3 between Minister Tuan and Aysen Sergeyevich Nikolayev, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Minister Tuan expressed appreciation for Nikolayev's initiative in proposing the meeting and reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, while valuing Sakha's interest in fostering multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnamese localities.

Recalling that Nikolayev previously served as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Sakha, the minister said the two sides had considerable shared experience to exchange in financial and budget management, as well as in pursuing sustainable economic development.

Highlighting Sakha’s substantial potential in minerals, diamonds, coal, energy, and liquefied natural gas, as well as the infrastructure of the Aldan Industrial Cluster, Minister Tuan called for stronger links between the business communities of the two sides to maximise investment and trade opportunities.

He proposed enhancing the complementarity between Sakha’s abundant natural resources and raw materials and Vietnam’s processing capacity, large consumer market and extensive network of free trade agreements, particularly in agriculture and fisheries, mineral processing, and consumer goods.

Nikolayev expressed his pleasure at meeting Minister Tuan and praised Vietnam’s impressive socioeconomic development achievements. He stated that Sakha regards Vietnam as a key priority partner in Southeast Asia and wishes to create a new breakthrough in bilateral cooperation.

Responding to Vietnam’s proposals, Nikolayev stressed that Sakha has a significant demand for workers to support infrastructure and industrial development projects. The Sakha delegation offered its support for Minister Tuan’s proposal to establish an organised labour cooperation model that complies with the laws of both countries and is linked to systematic vocational training.

Photo: Nguyen Quoc Phuong

In line with the shared focus on strengthening sub-national cooperation, Minister Tuan welcomed and supported Sakha’s proposal to establish comprehensive cooperation with Can Tho city.

The two sides agreed to task their respective focal agencies with promptly establishing contact and preparing the necessary procedures towards signing a formal cooperation agreement between Sakha and Can Tho. The agreement would serve as a foundation for expanding cooperation to other Vietnamese localities with similar characteristics.

The two leaders also agreed to continue promoting cultural, sports and tourism exchanges, as well as cooperation in education and training, to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.

In an open and candid atmosphere, the two sides held in-depth discussions on measures to address obstacles and facilitate practical cooperation, including improving payment mechanisms, optimising logistics infrastructure, sharing market and legal information, and establishing direct support channels for investors.

Concluding the talks, Minister Tuan expressed his confidence that cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Sakha would become increasingly substantive, effective and mutually beneficial.

He also invited Nikolayev and a high-level delegation from the Republic of Sakha to visit and work in Vietnam at a mutually convenient time. Nikolayev warmly accepted the invitation and said he would make arrangements for the visit soon.

VIR