The alignment of interests of Russia and Vietnam in the context of the new geopolitical reality

The subject of this scientific research is the contemporary bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The focus of the analysis is a comprehensive study of the alignment of external political proposals, strategic initiatives, and economic opportunities of Russia with the current national interests and key priorities of Vietnam. The article investigates the reasons for the insufficient progress observed in bilateral relations in recent years, despite their strong historical foundation and the declared importance by both sides. The central task of the work is to identify the dissonance between Russian foreign policy approaches shaped by the "turn to the East" and the concept of multipolarity, and the strictly pragmatic agenda of Hanoi, which is aimed at technological modernization, attracting foreign direct investment, and deep integration into global production and value chains. The research is based on a comparative analysis of the foreign policy doctrines, strategic documents, and priorities of the RF and SRV. The methodology includes a systematic approach to assess relations in the context of the regional dynamics of the Asia-Pacific Region, as well as content analysis of official statements and program documents to identify discrepancies between desired and actual cooperation outcomes. The scientific novelty of the article lies in shifting the focus from the traditional narrative of "special" or "historically friendly" relations to a pragmatic analysis of the competitive positions of Russia in the Vietnamese direction. The author offers specific analytical frameworks for understanding the inconsistencies, highlighting the core conceptual contradiction: the Russian foreign policy agenda, focused on issues of sovereignty, multipolarity, and security, poorly aligns with the strictly economic-pragmatic agenda of Vietnam, where the main priorities are investments, technology, and modernization. The contribution of the research consists in a clear argumentation that the uniqueness of Russia's status in Vietnam has been lost due to Hanoi's policy of diversifying strategic alliances. The author clearly demonstrates that under new conditions, appeals to past merits are insufficient, and identifies zones of potential compatibility of interests (multipolarity, non-intervention, infrastructure). The key conclusion-recommendation is that to maintain relevance, Russia needs to offer Vietnam specific, technologically and economically beneficial projects, moving from the category of "partner by tradition" to the status of "partner by necessity."

Russian-Vietnamese relations, Pivot to the East, Asia-Pacific region, Russia, Vietnam, National interests, Comprehensive strategic partnership, ASEAN, Multipolar world, Foreign policy