The welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Party chief Tô Lâm and his wife at the Government Terminal Vnukovo 2 Airport in Moscow on May 8. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

MOSCOW — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm, his wife Ngô Phương Ly, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, arrived at Vnukovo 2 Airport in Moscow on Thursday afternoon (local time), marking the start of his official visit to Russia and attendance at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (May 9, 1945-2025).

The three-day visit is made at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Nikolayevich Chernyshenko, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, the Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Gennady Bezdetko, and his spouse, the Director of the Protocol Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leaders from the regional department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On the Vietnamese side were Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi and his spouse, along with staff from the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Nikolayevich Chernyshenko greeted General Secretary Tô Lâm and his wife on the red carpet for the welcome ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

Immediately after they landed, the Russian Deputy PM invited General Secretary Lâm and his spouse to walk along the red carpet to the position of honour. The captain of the honour guard formally greeted and reported to the General Secretary. This was followed by the national anthems of Việt Nam and Russia.

Following the welcome ceremony, General Secretary Tô Lâm was scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin at the Government House, followed by a grand banquet in honour of all world leaders visiting Russia for the commemoration event.

Russia is the third stop in the four-nation working visit by General Secretary Tô Lâm from May 5-12, which included Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus.

Senior Russian officials greeted General Secretary Tô Lâm. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

This marks General Secretary Lâm’s first official visit to Russia since his election as the Communist leader. The visit is especially meaningful as the two countries are jointly celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1950–2025).

At the same time, both countries are commemorating major historical milestones. Russia is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, while Việt Nam is marking the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, and National Day on September 2.

During the visit, Việt Nam's top leader and the accompanying delegation will have important meetings with senior leaders of Russia, thereby creating new impetus in bilateral cooperation in many fields, including traditional cooperation fields and new, potential fields. It is hoped these will create more important driving forces to realise the development goals of the orientation in the bilateral relationship, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region, as well as in the world.

A view of the welcome ceremony for General Secretary Tô Lâm at Government Terminal Vnukovo 2 Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

General Secretary Lâm’s official visit and participation in the Victory Day celebrations underscore Việt Nam’s profound respect and recognition of the tremendous contributions and sacrifices made by the former Soviet Union—and by Russia today—in the great victory over fascism and in the steadfast defence of global peace.

The highly anticipated grand parade on May 9 at Moscow's Red Square will also see the participation of a contingent from the Việt Nam People's Army. — VNS