The working session between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Lê Mạnh Hùng and Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission. — Photo moit.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Lê Mạnh Hùng held a working session with Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), on September 9 to discuss the progress of bilateral trade cooperation and orientations for the coming period.

The meeting took place with the framework of the state visit to Russia by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Slepnev affirmed that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) always attaches importance to cooperation with Việt Nam, the first country to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc.

He expressed his belief that agreements reached during General Secretary and President Lâm’s visit will provide strong momentum for Việt Nam's trade and investment partnerships with Russia in particular and with the EAEU as a whole.

For his part, Hùng highlighted the positive results achieved in economic and trade cooperation between Việt Nam and the EAEU in recent years.

The two sides recently completed the exchange of statistical data on preferential imports under the Việt Nam–EAEU FTA for the 2017–25 period. This provides an important basis for them to assess the implementation of the agreement and identify issues requiring further attention, he noted.

On that basis, Hùng asked the EAEU to consider removing several obstacles to bilateral trade, with a focus on eliminating the threshold safeguard measure on Vietnamese textile and garment products and opening the Russian market further to Vietnamese fishery products.

Acknowledging the Vietnamese side’s proposals, Slepnev said the EAEU will consider them and discuss several proposals aimed at creating greater balance in bilateral trade.

The two ministers affirmed their determination to further strengthen cooperation between Việt Nam and the EAEU. They also agreed to consider holding the sixth session of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Việt Nam–EAEU FTA at an appropriate time.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, trade between Việt Nam and the EAEU reached US$5.94 billion in 2025, up 5.4 per cent from 2024. Việt Nam’s exports to the EAEU stood at $3.32 billion, up 1.3 per cent, while imports from the bloc reached $2.63 billion, up 11.1 per cent.

In the first seven months of 2026, trade between the two sides totalled $4.3 billion, up 21.5 per cent year-on-year. Việt Nam recorded $2.25 billion in exports and $2.04 billion in imports, respectively rising 14.7 and 30 per cent. — VNS​