Ukraine–Vietnam relations are the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Vietnam. Vietnam recognized Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union on 27 December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 23 January 1992.[1] The embassy of Vietnam in Ukraine started its operations in 1993, and the embassy of Ukraine in Vietnam was opened in 1997.
Political and economic relations
Embassy of Vietnam in KyivEmbassy of Ukraine in Hanoi
Vietnam has maintained good relations with Ukraine since the latter's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. This is largely due to the existence of Vietnamese people in Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine is a primary supplier of military equipment to Vietnam. Ukraine has played a significant role in helping Vietnam upgrade and modernize its military.[2]
Vietnam has maintained a neutral stance on the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2014, and this stance has remained following the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[3] although the majority of Vietnamese people in Vietnam strongly support Russia and Putin,[4] and in spite of dissidents' and democracy activists' support for Ukraine, as well as their pressure on the Vietnamese government to support Ukrainian territorial integrity.
The two countries have sought to expand their trade and economic ties as of 2018.[5] For Vietnam, Ukraine is an important trade partner in Europe, due to long, historical ties between the two nations, dating back to the Soviet era.[6]
The Ukrainian Head of State thanked Vietnam for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, as well as for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
The interlocutors emphasized the importance of intensifying bilateral relations, given the longstanding ties between Ukraine and Vietnam.
The President called on Vietnam to support the implementation of the points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pham Minh Chinh discussed the possibility of intensifying bilateral contacts between Ukraine and Vietnam at various levels.[8]
High level visits
In September 2017, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, visited Vietnam and met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.[9]
Ukrainians regard the Vietnamese community positively, based on historical commonality and the legacy of Soviet influence between two.[14] The Vietnamese community also serves as a bridge connecting Vietnamese populations in other Slavic nations such as Poland, Russia, and Czechia, where large Vietnamese diasporas exist.
Vietnamese began coming to the Soviet Union in the 1950s to study, usually for technical professions.[13] In 1985, the Soviet Union signed an agreement with Vietnam to allow gifted Vietnamese students to study or work in the country. This led to the formation of Vietnamese communities in the former Soviet Union, the largest of which are in Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kyiv.[10] Notably, billionaire Phạm Nhật Vượng lived in Kharkiv during the 1990s.[13] There he started the Mivina [uk] brand of instant noodles, which became a hit with Ukrainians during the early post-communist years.[13]
In Vietnam there are neither organizations of Ukrainian community, nor religious communities of immigrants from Ukraine, partly due to its large distance and lack of interests.[citation needed]
The vast majority of Ukrainians in Vietnam are labor migrants. They mainly consider their stay in Vietnam as temporary and plan to return home after labor contracts with employers conclude.[15] Ukrainian citizens work in the fields of tourism, trade, maritime transport, coal and petroleum, and a small number of them are engaged in business.[citation needed] A small number of Ukrainians belong to mixed Ukrainian-Vietnamese families.
