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The President of Russia took part in the ceremony to award the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam. The award was conferred in recognition of his substantial personal contribution to strengthening peace and cooperation among nations. The ceremony was held in the St Andrew’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

The prize was established on June 22, 2022, by the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Peace Foundation and the Russian Military Historical Society. The decision to award the prize is taken by an international jury chaired by Artistic Director – General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre Valery Gergiev.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

I am pleased to extend my greetings to all those present at the ceremony to award the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize to our esteemed friend, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Comrade To Lam. This distinguished award bears the name of the eminent Russian writer, philosopher, humanist and thinker.

Today's ceremony coincides with the birthday of Leo Tolstoy, which is, I think, profoundly symbolic. It is universally recognised that the legacy of Leo Tolstoy is indisputably part of the shared heritage of humanity. It is timeless, transcending ideological boundaries, and it has exerted – and continues to exert – a profound influence on the worldview and minds of politicians, statesmen, public figures and people of the most diverse nationalities and successive generations across the globe.

I know that in Vietnam, Tolstoy’s literary and spiritual legacy is held in high regard. The first President of Vietnam, Comrade Ho Chi Minh, wrote in an article published as far back as 1960 here in the Soviet Union, in Literaturnaya Gazeta, that he had become familiar with the works of Leo Tolstoy in his early youth. These works, as he recounted, left an indelible impression upon him and inspired him to take up writing himself. Ho Chi Minh described himself as a humble disciple of the great Russian writer; he was especially moved by the spirit of compassion evident in Tolstoy’s works, the defence of the rights of the oppressed, his ideals of goodness and mercy, his high standards of morality and ethics and his struggle against evil and violence. All of these qualities resonated with the leader of the Vietnamese revolution, urging him to fight against colonialism, for the freedom and independence of his homeland.

People in Russia have always sincerely respected and admired the resilience and courage of the Vietnamese people that worthily endured the severe ordeals of foreign oppression, armed interventions and national division. The Vietnamese fully appreciate the value of human life, peaceful coexistence, labour and creativity, and this attitude to life and spirituality is in harmony with and resonates with the humanist teachings of Leo Tolstoy.

Of course, we fully support the unanimous decision of the international jury to award this year’s Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize to the leader of Vietnam, Comrade To Lam and, through him, to the entire Vietnamese people.

Comrade To Lam is really a respected and forward-looking political leader, a true patriot who has chosen the path of devoted service to his homeland and the defence of its national interests as head of state, and who pursues a balanced domestic and foreign policy which contributes to the strengthening of an independent and sovereign Vietnam and to ensuring stability and security in Asia and throughout the world.

I see this award also as a high appreciation of your, Comrade To Lam, great personal contribution to deepening friendship and mutual understanding between Russia and Vietnam. Being a principled and consistent supporter of promoting Russian-Vietnamese strategic partnership, you permanently monitor the development of direct political, economic and humanitarian contacts between our countries.

And by way of conclusion, I would like to remind you that Leo Tolstoy’s 200^th birth anniversary will be celebrated in two years. There will be a rich program of public cultural events both in Russia and aboard. I am sure that our Vietnamese friends will take an active part in them.

Comrade To Lam, my friend,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved and highly prestigious award. I believe that this will be duly recognised in your country as well. And, of course, I wish you, your family and friends all the very best, good health and happiness, and to the friendly Vietnamese people – well-being, success and prosperity.

Thank you.

Chairman of the international jury, Artistic Director – Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre Valery Gergiev: Friends,

The venue for today’s ceremony held special significance for Leo Tolstoy. It was here, in the Kremlin’s Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, that he married his wife, Sofya. Today, this ancient church forms part of the Grand Kremlin Palace. I believe this fact is symbolic in itself.

As you know, the jury of the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize held its meeting in August. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam was named this year’s laureate in recognition of his significant personal contribution to strengthening peace and cooperation among nations.

This award honours not only the country’s leader but also the entire Vietnamese people, who have upheld the values of peace and humanism for centuries. My fellow jury members also noted Vietnam’s balanced approach to many complex international issues.

Vietnam pursues an independent and sovereign foreign policy while respecting international law, seeking to strengthen mutual understanding among peoples and building bridges of dialogue and cooperation with all centres of the multipolar world.

I am a musician, and for a musician, the concept of harmony is fundamental. By harmony, we mean the ability to bring together different – and sometimes even opposing – elements to create beauty and coherence. I believe that the idea of harmony is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture.

The ability to find harmony and bring an orchestra together as a cohesive whole is a remarkable gift. And it seems to me that the leaders present in this hall have mastered this art to perfection.

Thank you very much. Let us now proceed to the awards ceremony.

(Awards ceremony.)

President of Vietnam To Lam (retranslated): Comrade President Vladimir Putin,

Mr Valery Gergiev, Chairman of the International Peace Prize Foundation jury,

Ladies and gentlemen, friends,

It is a great honour and a deeply moving experience for me to receive the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize – a prize named after Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer and thinker and an outstanding figure in the culture of Russia and of all humanity. I would like to express my profound gratitude to the members of the jury, the organising committee and everyone who has bestowed this high and distinguished honour upon me.

This award is not only a personal honour for me; it is also a mark of recognition of and tribute to the Vietnamese people, who have endured numerous losses in wars, a peace-loving people who have always striven for development in a spirit of independence and resilience, for the sake of peace, friendship, cooperation and the progress of all humanity.

The great writer Leo Tolstoy devoted his entire life to the pursuit of truth, the awakening of conscience, and to affirming the power of humanity and love and the struggle against evil and violence. He dreamed that the love of peace would cease to be a timid aspiration of peoples horrified by the devastation of war and would instead become an unwavering imperative of a clear conscience. His novel War and Peace has gone down in the history of world literature as one of its greatest epics, embodying profound humanistic values and a philosophical understanding of human life that remain relevant across generations.

For us, Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece has given generations of Vietnamese readers the opportunity to discover the beauty of the Russian soul, the humanistic depth of Russian literature, and the vitality, humanity and dignity of the Russian people. It has inspired and instilled high ideals in generations of Vietnamese young people, beginning from their school years.

For Vietnamese literature, War and Peace has served as a beacon of artistic thought, inspiring a profound transformation – a shift from an epic view of war towards a realistic and humanistic understanding of both war and the individual.

The Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize is not only a recognition of efforts to promote peace; it also fosters a spirit of dialogue, responsibility and solidarity among peoples. The values championed by the prize have practical and lasting significance in building a peaceful, secure and humane future for all humanity.

Comrade President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The histories of great Russia and the people of Vietnam, two nations with a 1000-year history and rich cultures have much in common. Our peoples have always faced challenges and overcome them through steadfast resolve, courage and love for humanity.

The 20^th century witnessed the enormous sacrifices and losses suffered by the Soviet people, including the Russian people, during the Great Patriotic War. The 20^th century also left Vietnam with profound suffering caused by wars and wounds that have yet to heal completely. That is why we, more than anyone else, fully understand the sacred value of peace.

The people of Vietnam have a centuries-old tradition of peacefulness, rooted in the principles of humanity and justice, and have always linked the pursuit of peace with national sovereignty.

The great President Ho Chi Minh emphasised that the peoples of all countries love peace, hate war and want to live in freedom and independence. We understand the value of peace well because of our own history, and we understand the value of development thanks to our path of renewal and our country’s international integration. We have always deeply understood that peace, stability and development should be a common denominator for all states and peoples.

A thousand years of history have shaped the Vietnamese people, giving them humanistic traditions, a rich and distinctive culture, and a literature imbued with patriotism and a love of peace. On this foundation, we are striving today to build a society based on order, the rule of law, security, civilisation, harmony and development, in which people are at the centre of, and are the subjects and driving force behind, development.

Special attention is devoted to education and training, which are intended to strengthen knowledge, moral qualities, humanity and a sense of responsibility to society. We believe that true and lasting strength is born of knowledge, mutual understanding, trust and the ability to join forces to create common prosperity for the sake of peace and a better future for every person.

Drawing on our own historical experience, we have consistently pursued a foreign policy of independence, autonomy and reliance on our own strength, while promoting friendship and cooperation. In a modern world experiencing numerous conflicts and divisions, we advocate resolving all differences and disputes through peaceful means, based on respect for the UN Charter and international law. We advocate strengthening multilateralism, a spirit of cooperation, and actively participate in peacekeeping, the provision of humanitarian assistance and joint efforts to address common challenges facing humanity.

Comrade President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Vietnam and Russia are bound by long-standing traditional ties and a strong, loyal friendship that has withstood the test of time and been strengthened through the efforts of many generations. Today, more than ever, Vietnam clearly recognizes that comprehensively strengthening bilateral cooperation with Russia based on mutual interests is the most practical contribution we can make to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world.

As we enter a new era with higher and more pressing development goals, Vietnam expresses its desire and firm determination to elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia to a new level across all areas.

I would also like to express my gratitude for the trust placed in Vietnam and in me personally by President Putin, the jury of the International Peace Prize Foundation, and our Russian friends, as well as for the President’s continued attention to the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.

I am confident that both sides will be able to make more effective and meaningful use of the existing potential for cooperation, particularly in such strategically important areas as defence and security, energy and the oil and gas industry, science and technology, while also stepping up humanitarian cooperation. This will enable us to take relations between our countries to a new level for the benefit of both nations and in the interests of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and throughout the world.

Comrade President, ladies and gentlemen,

Receiving the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize in Russia is a great honour and a source of immense support for me. I would like to dedicate this great honour to the people of Vietnam, to the generations who gave their lives for independence, freedom, and peace, and to all those who work night and day to build peace through dialogue, courage, and generosity.

Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Comrade President Vladimir Putin and jury chairman Valery Gergiev.

I wish everyone present here today good health, success, and happiness.

Thank you very much.