The Azerbaijani ambassador gave a presentation on the history of Azerbaijan and its relations with Vietnam.

Mr. Anar Imanov's presentation recounted the historical events leading to the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, while also reviewing past events in Vietnam-Azerbaijan relations.

Prior to the 20th century, Azerbaijan was a collection of small kingdoms ruled by khans (monarchs). These small kingdoms were heavily influenced by two major powers: the Persian Empire (a large part of which is now Iran) and the Russian Empire. After the collapse of the Russian Empire in World War I, Azerbaijan, along with Armenia and Georgia, became part of the Transcaucasian Federal Democratic Republic. In 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence and established a parliamentary republic called the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. However, this state only lasted until 1920, when the Red Army annexed its territory to the Soviet Union.

Ambassador Anar Imanov introduces the history of Azerbaijan.

In 1922, Azerbaijan, along with Armenia and Georgia, was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, it separated to become the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. By the 1980s, the Soviet economy began to decline significantly, leading to economic reforms by Mikhail Gorbachev and ultimately its complete collapse in 1991. During that time, many socialist countries emerged and gained independence. In November 1990, Azerbaijan declared independence under the name Republic of Azerbaijan. After enduring a fierce conflict with Armenians from 1988-1994, Azerbaijan began implementing practical reform policies that led to remarkable national development, especially through leveraging its oil resources.

The students watch a video introducing Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Regarding Vietnam, Ambassador Anar Imanov noted that the two countries share many similarities through their struggles for independence. In fact, since 1959, President Ho Chi Minh visited Azerbaijan and requested support from Azerbaijani leaders for Vietnam's development of the oil and gas industry, a key economic sector at the time. In 1960, Azerbaijan accepted the first batches of Vietnamese students to study oil and gas. Azerbaijan also sent experts to Vietnam to explore offshore oil and gas fields, starting with the Bach Ho oil field, located about 145 km off the coast of Vung Tau. In 1983, Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, then Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, visited and signed several agreements to send supplies to help Vietnam rebuild after the war. The two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 1994, Azerbaijan began supporting the training of naval officers for Vietnam.

President Ho Chi Minh visited the Baku oil and gas industrial zone in Azerbaijan in 1959.

These historical interactions have laid the groundwork for the broad and multifaceted development of bilateral relations between the two countries. In 2013, the Republic of Azerbaijan officially opened an embassy in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In 2014, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Vietnam, and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang visited Azerbaijan in 2015. The two sides also established an intergovernmental committee and parliamentary friendship groups. Over the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Azerbaijan have achieved remarkable successes in many fields, from politics, economics, and energy to culture, tourism, and science and technology.

For students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Azerbaijani Embassy hopes that exchange and dialogue events will create opportunities to enhance the understanding and awareness of Vietnamese youth towards Azerbaijan. For example, the photo exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the National Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held on March 29, 2018 at the University, was widely attended and supported by students. Their involvement in these events has contributed to the bilateral relations between the two countries. In return, the Azerbaijani Embassy has also committed to supporting scholarships and sending Azerbaijani lecturers to teach at the University in the future.