Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh talking about the special history in Vietnam - Russia cooperation

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Vietnam Subcommittee to the Intergovernmental Coordination Committee on Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center, shared his points of view on the Center's activities.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh

- Deputy Minister, what role does the Vietnam-Russia cooperation within the framework of the Intergovernmental Coordination Committee on Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center play in defense cooperation of the two countries?

Regarding the cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation in science and technology, we must talk about the cooperation between the two sides in Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center. The Center itself is an agency of the Ministry of Defense tasked with cooperating with Russia on science and technology related to defense, military, socio-economic, scientific, and technological issues.

The joint Vietnamese-Russian activities at the Center are placed under the leadership of the Coordination Committee of the two governments. The Center has a very special history. It was in 1988, more than 30 years ago, Vietnam and the Soviet Union established Vietnam-Soviet Tropical Center to research tropical issues including ecology, biomedicine, and durability. These have been very new issues in science and technology at that time as well as today. It serves the scientific and technological activities of the military and defense, socio-economic, and especially environmental issues. Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center is the only remaining mixed mechanism between Vietnam and the former Soviet Union that is maintained to this day.

- As the Covid-19 pandemic poses new developments, how do the two sides determine the contents of cooperation to be able to adapt to this situation, Deputy Minister?

The plan made between the ministries of defense of the two countries this year has a lot of contents. There are up to 65 cooperation events between Vietnam and Russia in terms of defense. The pandemic has affected the implementation of the contents set out by the two sides. However, the ministries of defense of the two countries agreed that the main activities and those of common nature could not be changed. High-level exchanges, if direct meetings are impossible, may be organized online. It is the actual cooperation of the armed forces…

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev speaking during his visit to Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center

In dealing with the pandemic, Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center plays a special role. Earlier this year, the Russian government provided the center with a mobile laboratory, capable of controlling, detecting, and identifying most of the current pandemics. During the Covid pandemic, it can be said that this was the only mobile vehicle in Vietnam capable of testing and identifying infected people.

Thousands of cases have been tested for Covid-19. The Ministry of Health and relevant agencies determined that the Covid-19 test of Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center had the highest and best accuracy in Vietnam. Thus, when the Covid pandemic occurred, we did not interrupt the defense cooperation of the two countries and the contents of cooperation in science and technology of the Center, and the Center also actively contributed to the prevention and control of the pandemic.

- So in the process of working between experts of the two sides, how are Russian colleagues, sir?

Russian experts at the Center have been to Vietnam for more than 30 years. Although the situation has changed, their feelings for Vietnam are still remained. They are the world's leading experts on environment, ecology, and tropical issues. Besides their ability and qualifications, the most valuable thing of Russian experts is the affection and sense of responsibility towards Vietnam and the Army in general and Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center in particular.

- What is the Center's development focus, Deputy Minister?

Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center conducts basic scientific researches as the foundation for military, defense, and socio-economic activities. For example, research on tropical durability is important in securing and maintaining combat readines weapons and equipment. Or environmental issues, especially the marine environment or tropical biomedical research, which response to the recent Covid pandemic, is also a typical example.

We have two big problems that need urgent resolution. It is tropical biomedicine. A pandemic occurs that makes us see that it is impossible to be subjective. The second is the environment, especially the marine environment. There is a need for broader international cooperation to preserve the marine environment, especially the East Sea - a vast sea rich in mineral resources and marine life. We have to keep it fair, and this is also the duty of defense.

- According to the Deputy Minister, how have the achievements of the Center in particular and Vietnam-Russia Coordination Committee in general contributed to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries?

The comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation takes place in many broad and profound fields. In defense, it also takes place in many different aspects, such as policy cooperation, military technology or training.

However, science and technology cooperation is typical of Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center. Therefore, maintaining and developing the cooperation of the Center helps enhance the trustworthiness of the two sides. It is also a channel to exchange science and technology information and train Vietnamese officers. At the same time, it directly contributes to military and defense missions and socio-economic development.

Another example is the cleanup of dioxins in Vietnam. The questions are who will appraise the results of dioxin cleaning, who will ensure that when handling dioxins, it does not spread to the environment causing harm to humans, and who confirms on a fully scientific basis that this land and air is clean after decontamination.

This is one of the tasks of Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center today. The experts of both sides are doing very well in this assessment role, not only meeting the requirements of the States, but the Center's appraisal results meet the requirements of all the world's standard laboratories for the levels of dioxin contamination.

I would like to say that science and technology cooperation on the environment in the current context of Vietnam is a very heavy task. In which, the Army is not an outsider. We contribute a small but very effective and practical part to the effort to ensure the environment.