Vietnam is a trusted partner in Asia-Pacific: AFK Sistema

THE HANOI TIMES — Vietnam is a reliable destination and trusted partner for Russian businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, Chairman of Russia’s AFK Sistema Vladimir Petrovich Yevtushenkov said during a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on January 5.

Yevtushenkov said AFK Sistema is prioritizing partnerships and investment in the Asia-Pacific, identifying Vietnam as a trusted and high-potential partner.

Building on strong traditional ties between the two countries, the group plans to expand localization, prepare for technology transfer and provide systematic workforce training in Vietnam, aiming for long-term efficiency and shared benefits.

AFK Sistema is the largest private economic group in the Russian Federation. Founded in Moscow in 1993, it employs about 300,000 people and invests in Russia and abroad across telecommunications, digital services, high technology, e-commerce, healthcare, wood processing and wooden housing construction, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and hospitality, positioning itself as a global high-tech investment fund.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently values and seeks to strengthen its traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia.

"The Vietnamese Government strongly supports more substantive investment and business cooperation between enterprises of the two countries for long-term and effective outcomes," said Chinh.

He welcomed AFK Sistema’s rapid growth and its proactive engagement with major Vietnamese groups and companies in recent years.

Chinh called on businesses from both sides to strengthen cooperation to translate high-level agreements into concrete results, stressing that Vietnam encourages direct business-to-business partnerships, particularly in areas where Russia has strengths and Vietnam has strong demand.

Priority sectors include data infrastructure and connectivity, information technology, digital transformation, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the development of Vietnam’s digital asset market and projects related to underground and outer space, he said.

The prime minister also highlighted metro development projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as tourism cooperation, as areas with strong potential.

“Vietnam is preparing to roll out a national single-window mechanism for investment to facilitate foreign investors,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said, adding that he has directed relevant ministries and agencies to support AFK Sistema in cooperation, trade promotion and investment activities.

Regarding the  Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko told The Hanoi Times that the two sides will deepen cooperation in high-tech fields, including digital transformation, cybersecurity and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, in addition to healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The cooperation’s purpose is to transfer technology, increase the localization ratio and reduce reliance on imports and gradually integrate Vietnamese-made products into regional supply chains, starting with the ASEAN market.

The ambassador said that bilateral trade reached US$4.3 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, up 3.7% year on year. Agricultural trade continued to expand steadily, exceeding US$1 billion.

Both sides are implementing the master plan for cooperation development to 2030, with a target of raising bilateral trade to US$15 billion.