‘Red study tours’ to lay a solid foundation for future Vietnam-China ties: Vietnamese Ambassador to China
After the successful conclusion of the Chinese leader's state visit to Vietnam earlier this month, the Vietnamese Embassy in China held the 2025 Vietnam-China media briefing in Beijing on Monday to introduce the main outcomes of the visit and the development of bilateral relations. Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh said on Monday that this visit has established a new and important milestone in the construction of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the strategically significant Vietnam-China community with a shared future.
Ambassador Pham particularly mentioned that the visit resulted in the signing of 45 cooperation documents, the largest number and the broadest scope to date, reflecting the new positioning, new content, and new level of bilateral relations.
At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15.
Pham delivered his remarks in Chinese, noting that this visit took place on the occasion of several significant anniversaries: the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the 95th anniversary of the CPV's founding, the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's independence, and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. The visit achieved substantial results, he said.
Pham said that through this visit, China and Vietnam continued to maintain high-level strategic communication, emphasizing the importance the two parties and the two countries attach to their relations, as well as the special position of these relations in each country's diplomatic strategy.
The two sides agreed to further enhance coordination and cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and public security. A specific achievement was the decision to elevate the "3+3" strategic dialogue mechanism between the two countries in these areas to the ministerial level. "This mechanism is relatively rare on a global scale, highlighting the uniqueness of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and China," Pham said.
He also mentioned that during the visit, China and Vietnam reached a consensus on promoting the next phase of practical cooperation, identifying key areas and major initiatives, including urban rail, agricultural product trade, science and technology, AI education and training, digital economy, green economy, and smart ports.
2025 will also be the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges. China has announced that over the next three years, it will invite young Vietnamese people to China for "red study tours," strengthening the friendly ties between the younger generations of both countries through their shared revolutionary heritage. Pham told Global Times on Monday that this initiative will allow young people in Vietnam to better understand the history of mutual assistance between China and Vietnam during their revolutionary years, laying a solid foundation for the future development of bilateral relations.
During the press briefing, Pham presented some data at the meeting: In 2024, Vietnam received 3.74 million Chinese tourists, a 114 percent increase from the previous year.
In the first quarter of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 1.58 million Chinese tourists, a 178 percent of year-on-year increase. Currently, there are nearly 400 round-trip flights per week between the two countries, and about 23,000 Vietnamese students are studying in China.
As socialist neighbors connected by shared borders, China and Vietnam's economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly. Pham mentioned that Vietnam is currently China's fourth-largest trading partner, and China has remained Vietnam's largest trade partner for 20 consecutive years. According to Chinese statistics, bilateral trade exceeded $260 billion in 2024.
Pham told Global Times that as Vietnam's economy becomes more open, its sensitivity to external influences is increasing. Vietnam hopes that countries will strengthen cooperation to protect and develop the long-standing international trade order and maintain stability in global production and supply chains.
When discussing the current global trade situation and tariff impacts, Pham said that China and the US are two major countries and also important economic partners of Vietnam. He hopes all parties can strengthen cooperation and reduce friction. This not only aligns with the interests of all countries but will also bring tangible benefits to people around the world.
Pham quoted a signed article by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee To Lam, published in People's Daily on April 14, stating, "The success of our two parties and two countries' friendship will not only bring benefits to our people and best serve their interests but also make increasingly practical and responsible contributions to the peace, stability, social progress, and prosperity of all nations in the region and the world."