The international seminar titled "Current issues in Việt Nam studies” takes place on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – An international seminar titled "Current issues in Việt Nam studies” took place at the Centre for Việt Nam and ASEAN Studies (CVAS) of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia under the Russian Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.

Held both in in-person and online formats, it brought together Vietnamese researchers in Russia, young scientists of Việt Nam and China, and experts from other specialised fields, kickstarting a series of activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Việt Nam – Russia diplomatic relations.

The biennial seminar aimed at collecting important and necessary orientations and topics of interest in Việt Nam studies in Russia, contributing to maintaining and developing high-quality research in this area, and serving as a forum to attract Việt Nam studies scholars.

Addressing the seminar, Ekaterina Koldunova, Director of the ASEAN Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), remarked that Việt Nam recently recorded significant achievements in political stability and is on a path of economic development after challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, positively contributing to international and regional organisations.

According to her, the task for Việt Nam studies researchers today is to analyse and understand these processes in Việt Nam, serving both policy-making and academic research.

The two-day event focuses on 32 reports, grouped into research areas such as history, politics, economy, and culture of a modern and deeply traditional Việt Nam.

Regarding politics and foreign policy, young scholars from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU), the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Việt Nam National University - Hà Nội have presented on current issues such as Việt Nam's role in cooperation with countries in the southern hemisphere in the context of the formation of a new world order; Việt Nam's soft power resources; and how Việt Nam balances its relations with global powers. Policies related to anti-corruption, smart city development, and ethnic policy are also key topics of interest at the seminar.

Dr Vladimir Mazyrin, Director of CVAS, noted that over recent years, there have been many positive changes in Việt Nam studies as the topic has attracted not only Vietnamologists but also experts from other fields.

In some ways, the participation of "non-Việt Nam studies" experts has made the work of Việt Nam studies more diverse, aiming for greater depth and specificity, he said.

Meanwhile, Elena Nikulina, a veteran expert in Việt Nam studies from CVAS, noted that over recent years, researchers have become more interested in Việt Nam's international policies and economy.

Driven by Việt Nam's growing position on the international stage and its economic development achievements, Russian scholars are increasingly focused on Việt Nam's foreign policy, particularly the philosophy of "bamboo diplomacy" which is currently attracting global attention, as well as Việt Nam's reputation in the region and worldwide, she said, adding that Russian scholars are especially interested in Việt Nam's domestic policies, with analyses being conducted in a more multidimensional and diverse manner.

Celebrating Việt Nam's rising status, Russian scholars said they pin high hopes on the fruitful cooperative relationship between Việt Nam and Russia in the coming time, and expressed their belief that cooperation will serve as a motivation and encouragement for scholars who are continuing to lay the scientific groundwork for the traditional friendship between the two countries. — VNS