The Prize, awarded for a significant personal contribution to strengthening peace and cooperation among nations, went to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam. The award was presented to the head of state by conductor Valery Gergiev, Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre, People’s Artist of Russia and Chairman of the Jury of the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize. The ceremony was held as part of the Vietnamese leader’s state visit to Russia.
Speaking at the award ceremony, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said:
“We fully support the unanimous decision of the multinational 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 a truly authoritative and far-sighted political figure, a genuine patriot who has chosen the path of devoted service to his homeland and the defence of its national interests.”
In his response, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam noted that he regards the conferral of this high award as recognition of Vietnam’s achievements on the international stage:
“It is a great honour and a moment of deep emotion for me to accept the International Peace Prize named after Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer and thinker, an outstanding representative of the culture of Russia and of all humanity. This prize is not only a personal honour for me, but also a mark of recognition and respect for a people that had to endure immense losses in war. For a peace-loving people that has always striven to develop in a spirit of self-reliance and resilience, in the name of peace, friendship, cooperation and the progress of all humankind.”
Under the leadership of President To Lam, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region, while preserving its civilisational identity within the mosaic of a multipolar world. The members of the jury of the L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize made particular note of the Vietnamese leader’s contribution to shaping a new regional architecture of equal and indivisible security on a non-discriminatory basis, and of his commitment to the idea of a just world order grounded in international law.
BACKGROUND:
The L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize was established in 2022 to recognise individuals and organisations that have made a significant contribution to strengthening peace, mutual understanding and cooperation among nations on the basis of the principles of non-violence, humanism and intercultural dialogue. All activity relating to the awarding of the Prize is financed without the involvement of any state – exclusively through voluntary donations from private individuals and businesses in various countries.
The jury of the Prize comprises political, public and cultural figures from Argentina, Belarus, India, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, France, the Republic of South Africa and Japan, all of whom command high standing in their professional fields and wide international recognition. The Chairman of the jury is the celebrated conductor Valery Gergiev.
The first laureate of the Prize, in 2023, was the African Union – an influential international organisation representing more than 50 countries of the African continent. In 2025, the Prize was awarded for a major personal contribution to strengthening peace and security in the Central Asian region to the heads of three states: President of the Kyrgyz Republic S. N. Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan E. Rahmon and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. M. Mirziyoyev.
The L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize was established in 2022 to recognise individuals and organisations that have made a significant contribution to strengthening peace, mutual understanding and cooperation among nations on the basis of the principles of non-violence, humanism and intercultural dialogue. All activity relating to the awarding of the Prize is financed without the involvement of any state – exclusively through voluntary donations from private individuals and businesses in various countries.
The jury of the Prize comprises political, public and cultural figures from Argentina, Belarus, India, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, France, the Republic of South Africa and Japan, all of whom command high standing in their professional fields and wide international recognition. The Chairman of the jury is the celebrated conductor Valery Gergiev.
The first laureate of the Prize, in 2023, was the African Union – an influential international organisation representing more than 50 countries of the African continent. In 2025, the Prize was awarded for a major personal contribution to strengthening peace and security in the Central Asian region to the heads of three states: President of the Kyrgyz Republic S. N. Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan E. Rahmon and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. M. Mirziyoyev.
