Lao Dong respectfully introduces General Secretary To Lam's speech: "Promoting traditional friendship and Vietnam - Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership, making the two countries a bridge for cooperation between Southeast Asia and Central Asia".
Mr. Azamat Zholmanov, Principal of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan, Dear representatives of the leaders of the National Assembly agencies, the Government of Kazakhstan, Dear Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy to return to the majestic and peaceful country of Kazakhstan after 7 years. I am deeply moved by the warm welcome of President Kassim Jomart Tokayev, the State, Government and People of Kazakhstan.
As we all know, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan is known as the leading cradle of training and research, specializing in training senior managers for the public sector of Kazakhstan.
After more than three decades of development, the Academy has risen to become a leading postgraduate training institution in the region, contributing significantly to shaping the country's leadership and governance thinking, becoming a symbol of innovation and strong development aspirations of Kazakhstan.
I am very touched and sincerely thank the President for his direction and the Board of Directors of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan for closely coordinating with Vietnamese agencies to arrange and welcome me and the Vietnamese delegation today to have the opportunity to share some issues with you and your friends.
Ladies and gentlemen,
2025 marks the 66th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh's official visit to Kazakhstan (1959-2025), and also towards the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Kazakhstan (1992-2027). In particular, the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries has opened a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations.
Our two countries share many similarities in strategic geographical location, development history and culture; both promote the tradition of studiousness, hospitality as well as solidarity.
Kazakhstan is located in the center of Central Asia, a bridge between Asia and Europe; while Vietnam is in the center of Southeast Asia, connecting the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Both ethnic groups have a strong patriotism and a desire for freedom.
Even the name Kazakhstan has fully demonstrated the spirit of a nation constantly striving to achieve independence and freedom. With similar aspirations, the Vietnamese National Brand is also associated with two words independence, freedom and happiness.
Both countries have unique cultures attached to nature and traditional lifestyles. Vietnam has a rice civilization associated with a system of rivers, plains and seasonal lifestyles for cultivation and animal husbandry; while Kazakhstan has a culture of nomads associated with vast grasslands and cattle grazing.
Our two countries also have a rich traditional art scene with unique folk music, especially the forms of rap song.
Vietnam has Vi and Amor singing; Kazakhstan has Aytysh. Vietnam has the monochord, the T' run, the erhu...; Kazakhstan has the dombra, the Kobyz.
Many famous literary and poetic works of Kazakhstan have been translated into Vietnamese, including the work "The Commandments of A-bai" by the famous poet and masterful philosopher Abai Kunanbaev; or the song about the Kazakhstan herb by writer Ilyas Yesenberlin, which has become familiar to many generations of Vietnamese literary lovers.
Vietnam and Kazakhstan have also overcome difficult economic periods and have risen strongly thanks to the spirit of innovation, creativity, daring to think, daring to do. We highly appreciate Kazakhstan's socio-economic development achievements through impressive progress in recent decades.
Under the wise leadership of generations of leaders, especially President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan has grown strongly from a newly independent country to a modern economy of the largest scale in the region (accounting for nearly 60% of GDP in Central Asia), increasingly playing an important role in Central Asia and in the international arena, and being the initiator of the Forum for Coordinating Action and Measures to build trust in Asia (CICA).
Similarly, Vietnam has strongly risen from the difficulties of the past through the Doi Moi initiative in 1986, to become one of the most dynamically developed economies in Southeast Asia, with open foreign relations.
The leaders and people of the two countries always have respect and sincere feelings for each other. During the official visit to Vietnam by the President of Kazakhstan in August 2023, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with a book of meaningful photos of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to Kazakhstan in 1959 .
The legacy left by President Ho Chi Minh, including the friendship for Kazakhstan, has been passed down to future generations.
The resistance war, reunification and national construction of Vietnam has the support and contributions of many Kazakhstan friends, especially Lieutenant General Jassen Kereyev, a former Soviet military expert (Kafagian citizen) who was awarded the First Class Military Exploit Order by Vietnam.
The Party, State and People of Vietnam always appreciate the sincere, profound feelings and valuable support that Kazakhstan has given us.
The above evidence is a vivid testament to the traditional close friendship between Vietnam and Kazakhstan. Despite the geographical distance, our two countries always have sincere and good feelings for each other.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Entering the third decade of the 21st century, the world is going through decisive changes. The global situation continues to shape in the direction of multipolarity and multi-center. Peace, cooperation and development are still a major trend, but are also facing difficulties and challenges that have not been seen since the Cold War.
Strategic competition between major countries is increasingly fierce and intense, expanding in space and increasing in intensity and confrontation. The risk of arms race, tensions, and military conflicts are also increasing.
The rise of the ideology of power spans and narrow nationalism is challenging international law, while eroding multilateral institutions as well as trust in global cooperation.
Hot spots and conflicts in the world continue to develop complicatedly, causing many consequences for global security and economy. Meanwhile, non-traditional security challenges are on the rise. Climate change, extreme weather, natural disasters, epidemics, resource depletion and population aging... are threatening to reverse efforts to implement the United Nations 2030 agenda on sustainable development.
On the other hand, the explosive development of science and technology, especially emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, block chain, synthetic biology, etc., is creating fundamental changes in the economic, political, cultural and social life of each country and each citizen. At the same time, this also opens up breakthrough development opportunities for countries.
In the current context of change, developing countries such as Vietnam and Kazakhstan need to get closer to each other and cooperate closely to respond to common challenges. As peoples that have experienced many ups and downs in history, more than anyone else, we understand the value of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is in the midst of the difficulties and challenges of more than four decades ago that Vietnam has carried out the Doi Moi process and risen up. From a poor, underdeveloped economy that depends heavily on aid, Vietnam has now become one of the 32 largest economies in the world and is among the top 20 countries in attracting foreign investment as well as in terms of trade scale.
Regarding foreign affairs, from being surrounded by embargoes, Vietnam has now established diplomatic relations with 194 countries, actively participated in more than 70 multilateral forums and international organizations; at the same time, built a network of 35 strategic partnership and comprehensive partnership frameworks, in which the strategic partnership with Kazakhstan is the latest framework.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, we are consistent with the goal of "national independence associated with socialism", building a socialist rule of law state of the people, by the people and for the people; At the same time continue to take people as the center and the driving force of development.
Vietnam is determined to achieve a breakthrough GDP growth rate of 8% in 2025 and maintain a double-digit level in the following years; strive to become a modern, high-middle-income developed country by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045.
We link rapid and sustainable economic growth with growth model innovation, improving quality, efficiency and competitiveness on the basis of science - technology, innovation, digital transformation; at the same time, consider training high-quality human resources as a key driving force for development.
In that direction, Vietnam is promoting the development of energy infrastructure, transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure; implementing strategic projects such as high-speed railway, North-South high-speed railway, nuclear power plant, and pioneering in new areas such as semiconductor industry, core technology, strategic technology and artificial intelligence.
The innovation and reorganization of the political system's apparatus in the direction of streamlining, effective and efficient operations, along with creating breakthroughs in science - technology, innovation and proactive and active international integration, is identified as "three strategic pillars" to carry out key tasks: " long-term stability - Sustainable development - Enhanced life".
Regarding foreign affairs and international integration, in the new era of development, Vietnam persistently implements the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification of relations; is a friend, a trusted partner, and an active, responsible member of the international community. We proactively and actively integrate deeply and comprehensively into the international community; at the same time, we contribute more and more to the world political landscape, the global economy and human civilization.
We support the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law; promote dispute settlement by peaceful measures; Obtain all unilateral actions, imposing, using or threatening to use force, implementing defense policies 4 no. At the same time, we consistently support the maintenance of a free, open, open multilateral trade system, based on the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Ladies and gentlemen,
Over the past three decades, the relationship between the two countries has had strong developments in many fields, from politics, economics, culture to education and science and technology.
In recent years, the two sides have maintained regular delegation exchanges and contacts at high and all levels. We welcome the leaders of Kazakhstan to consider Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia. Economic - trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has developed positively; bilateral trade turnover in 2024 will reach 800 million USD, an increase of 99% compared to 2023.
The two countries regularly coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums. Cultural cooperation, tourism, education - training, and local cooperation have many new developments. The close day connecting the people of the two countries is increasingly tightened.
In particular, the number of Kazakhstan tourists to Vietnam has increased nearly 20 times in 5 years (more than 150,000 in 2024 compared to 7,000 in 2019). The two countries also officially operate the direct flight route from November 2022. On average, there are currently 3-5 direct flights from Kazakhstan to Vietnam.
The above results are very positive, and the two countries still have a lot of room to enhance comprehensive and substantive cooperation in all fields. As President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assessed during his official visit to Vietnam in August 2023: This is a "golden period" in the relationship between the two countries. In that spirit, Vietnam and Kazakhstan have decided to establish a strategic partnership framework, affirming the new stature of the bilateral relationship.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Looking forward, the Vietnam - Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership needs to be implemented with substantial and effective cooperation contents, thereby becoming a model of South-South cooperation between Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
In that spirit, in order to implement the Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam - Kazakhstan relations, I think it is necessary to promote 5 "connections" in cooperation between the two countries in the coming time:
First, connecting people, including connecting leaders of the two countries, connecting agencies and connecting the people of the two countries.
In this framework, the two countries need to strengthen regular and substantive political dialogue at high levels, especially between the highest leaders, as well as through all channels of the Party, State, National Assembly and people-to-people exchanges; thereby further enhancing political trust and promoting comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
It is necessary to promote the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Vietnam - Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Committee and the political consultation mechanism between the two Foreign Ministries.
The two sides should also study the establishment of new dialogue mechanisms such as defense, security, economic - trade, science - technology and cooperation between localities.
At the same time, the two countries need to promote cooperation in the fields of education, culture and arts and tourism development, thereby enhancing people-to-people exchanges, fostering mutual affection and understanding between the two peoples, especially the younger generation.
Second, connecting the two economies to maximize the potential and strengths of each side.
Vietnam wishes to work with Kazakhstan to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation to become an important pillar of bilateral relations, commensurate with the potential of each country. In particular, the two countries aim to double trade turnover, reaching 5 billion USD by 2030.
We hope to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan in the Asian Economic Union (EAEU), connecting the Central Asian market with ASEAN, and accessing the European market through Central Asia.
The two countries need to actively study the possibility of expanding exchanges between agricultural products of Kazakhstan and Vietnam's seafood products, in line with each country's strengths. In addition, it is necessary to promote cooperation in the field of mining - a field with great potential to develop bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Vietnam also hopes that Kazakhstan will cooperate and share experiences in developing the international financial center model. I really hope to visit the Astana Financial Center (AIFC) to learn about your valuable experiences.
Third, connecting in infrastructure, transportation, as well as cooperation in other potential areas such as energy, to promote the geographical advantages of the two countries.
Recently, many large Vietnamese enterprises have expressed deep interest in Kazakhstan's potential areas such as developing connecting infrastructure, railway connectivity, transportation - transportation, energy and oil and gas and aviation.
The two countries need to take advantage of the existing advantages of each region, such as reasonable transportation costs and tariff incentives within the framework of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and EAEU.
At the same time, he hoped that the two countries would continue to create conditions for national oil and gas corporations to strengthen cooperation, and introduce potential exploration and exploitation projects to the Vietnam National Industry - Energy Group (PVN). Cooperation in energy technology exploration, exploitation and transfer can soon become a pillar of cooperation between the two countries.
Fourth, connecting policies through cooperation in education - training, science - technology and innovation.
The two countries need to prioritize cooperation in training high-quality human resources, aiming to build a young generation of dynamism, with entrepreneurship skills and the ability to integrate in the digital age - the force that will become the growth driver and the bridge connecting the future of Vietnam - Kazakhstan.
In the context that both countries attach importance to the development of science and technology, I expect research institutes, universities and enterprises of the two countries to strengthen coordination in joint research programs, especially on green technology, clean energy and new technology.
In particular, it is necessary to promote cooperation between the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan and leading universities in Vietnam in the fields of public administration, economics, international relations and leadership skills.
Increasing information exchange, research sharing and forecasting on issues of mutual concern will bring practical benefits, contributing to raising the level of bilateral relations in the new development stage.
Fifth, inter-regional connectivity, promoting the role and influence of the two countries to expand cooperation between Southeast Asia and Central Asia, while enhancing the position and voice of Southern countries.
The two countries need to continue to promote multilateralism together, ensuring the legitimate interests of developing countries.
We support a multipolar, fair world; support globalization and free trade for the common interests of the international community.
At the same time, the two countries need to proactively and actively work with the international community to address global challenges such as climate change, energy security, water security, food security, as well as preventing and combating terrorism and transnational crimes.
In the spirit of active cooperation, Vietnam and Kazakhstan will continue to coordinate and support each other at international organizations and multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, the CICA Forum and the Non-Aligned Movement.
As an active member of ASEAN, Vietnam welcomes all efforts to promote cooperation between ASEAN and Kazakhstan, and is ready to act as a bridge to strengthen and serve as a bridge to further deepen the relationship between ASEAN, Southeast Asia and Central Asia in a practical, effective and mutually beneficial direction.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Once again, I would like to express my admiration for the socio-economic development achievements that Kazakhstan has achieved in recent times, including the important contributions of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan. I believe that the Academy will continue to play a core role in promoting education and scientific progress in Kazakhstan as well as in the region.
The people of Kazakhstan have a profound across-the-top saying: "A tree stands firm thanks to its roots, a person is strong thanks to its friends". That spirit was also affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh - the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people - with the immortal teaching: "Solidarity, solidarity, great solidarity; Success, success, great success".
The spirit of friendship, solidarity and sincere cooperation is the strong bond between Vietnam and Kazakhstan in the new era.
Toi tin tuong manh me rang, voi su no luc cua ca hai ben, dac biet la cua cac the he tre, dai dien cho tuong lai hai nuoc, quan he Doi tac chien luoc giua Viet Nam va Kazakhstan se tiep tuc phat trien manh me, bay cao nhu "doi canh dai bang tren thao nguyen Saryarka (Saryarka), tro thanh cau noi thuc day hop tac giua hai khu vuc Dong Nam A va Trung A, mang lai loi ich cho nhan dan hai nuoc va gop phan vao hoa binh, on dinh cua khu vuc va World.
Sincerely thank you!.
