Kazakhstan and Vietnam Are Experiencing a Prime Opportunity to Enhance Relations: Says Kazakh Ambassador
Ranking Up the Relationship: Kazakhstan and Việt Nam
The friendly ties between Kazakhstan and Việt Nam are soaring to new heights, Kazakh Ambassador to Việt Nam, Kanat Tumysh, recently declared. He shared these insights ahead of Party General Secretary Tô Lâm's upcoming state visit to Kazakhstan, slated for May 5–7.
Looking back, Tumysh recounted that 2025 holds significant significance as it marks the 66th anniversary of President Hồ Chí Minh's historic visit to Kazakhstan in 1959 and the 33rd year since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1992.
He characterized the partnership as progressing through three stages - from its foundational years to a period of active engagement, and now entering a "golden age" of development, characterized by increased high-level exchanges and mutual trust.
Diving into the details, Tumysh pointed out concrete steps that have fortified the relationship. Since May 2024, citizens of both countries with regular passports have been visa-free, an adjustment that Tumysh believes will unleash opportunities in tourism, transportation, and logistics.
Finishing the unfinished puzzle, a bilateral treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons signed in 2023 went into effect in 2024. Additionally, the Việt Nam-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation was upgraded to ministerial level in 2024.
The collaboration has also seen promising local initiatives. The provinces of Bắc Ninh and East Kazakhstan signed a sister-province agreement, while Đà Năng and the Kazakh city of Aktau established a formal friendship and cooperation pact in 2024.
Economic ties have gained momentum, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $1 billion in 2024 - a remarkable rebound after the pandemic years.
Air connectivity has improved, with the number of direct flights between the two countries doubling from two per week in 2022 to four in 2025, linking key destinations like Phú Quốc, Đà Nẵng, and Almaty. Kazakhstan's Air Astana plans to start serving Đà Nẵng this June, Tumysh revealed.
In December 2024, Vietnamese-owned Sovico Group and a Kazakh investment fund jointly acquired Qazaq Air, offering optimism for fresh momentum during General Secretary Lâm's visit. Furthermore, Sovico's ventures in airport infrastructure development and energy cooperation with KazMunayGas are also expected to see growth.
Kazakh businesses have been content with their outcomes in Việt Nam, and Việt Nam-based investors are exploring the Kazakh market, especially in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The steady growth in bilateral ties, according to Tumysh, stems from the mutual trust and goodwill between the two governments, the rapport between senior leaders, and the option for a balanced and forward-looking relationship.
Tumysh highlighted General Secretary Lâm's upcoming visit as a strategic turning point, coming just two years after President Tokayev's own state visit to Việt Nam. He elaborated that the visit would provide a valuable forum for both sides to revise their cooperation frameworks and carry forward new initiatives.
Although bilateral trade has expanded significantly, it still underperforms its potential. With the right forces behind them, Tumysh anticipates the two countries aiming for annual trade of $2–5 billion.
Exploring the landscape of geopolitical tension, climate change, and supply chain disruptions, Tumysh emphasized the importance of signing agreements during the General Secretary's visit to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
Tumysh delineated several promising areas for further collaboration, including logistics, defense, tourism, energy, and agriculture.
Kazakh Ambassador to Việt Nam Kanat Tumysh. - VNA/VNS Photo
Kazakhstan, Tumysh remarked, has become the third-largest source of foreign tourists to popular Việt Nam destinations like Phú Quốc, Nha Trang, and Đà Nẵng. He also saw potential in railway connectivity, particularly Việt Nam's Hải Phòng-Hà Nội-Lào Cai rail project, which Kazakhstan hopes to link with the broader Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. This "Middle Corridor" would stretch from Kunming to Almaty, Aktau, Baku, and Istanbul, eventually connecting to Europe.
He expressed Kazakhstan's readiness to allocate 100–200 hectares for logistics hubs to support this east-west freight network.
In the energy sector, Tumysh highlighted Kazakhstan's nuclear know-how, referring to its Soviet-era plant in Aktau and ongoing collaboration with France, the Republic of Korea, and China on new nuclear power projects. He expressed interest in fostering similar partnerships with Việt Nam, which is re-evaluating its nuclear strategy.
Agricultural cooperation was also a top talking point, with Kazakhstan exploring imports of high-quality Việt Nam rice, alongside tea and coffee. In turn, Kazakhstan can offer Việt Nam organic apples, competitively-priced meat products, and wheat.
- The Vietnam-Kazakhstan partnership is set to enter a "golden age" of development, as declared by Kanat Tumysh, the Kazakh Ambassador to Vietnam.
- Tumysh believes that the visa-free travel for citizens of both countries, implemented since May 2024, will foster opportunities in tourism, transportation, and logistics.
- A bilateral treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons, signed in 2023, went into effect in 2024, marking another step in the relationship's progression.
- In 2024, the Việt Nam-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation was upgraded to ministerial level.
- Economic ties have seen a remarkable rebound with bilateral trade reaching nearly $1 billion in 2024, following the pandemic years.
- The collaboration between Vietnamese-owned Sovico Group and a Kazakh investment fund, leading to the acquisition of Qazaq Air, is expected to provide fresh momentum during General Secretary Lâm's visit.
- Tumysh anticipates the two countries aiming for annual trade of $2–5 billion in the coming years.
- Kazakhstan is interested in fostering partnerships with Vietnam in nuclear power projects, given its expertise in this field.
- Agricultural cooperation is another key area for potential growth, with Kazakhstan considering imports of high-quality Vietnamese rice, tea, and coffee.
- In terms of geopolitical tension, climate change, and supply chain disruptions, Tumysh emphasized the importance of signing agreements during the General Secretary's visit to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
