General Secretary and President To Lam was awarded the Lev N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize

Participating in the online voting from the city of Saint Petersburg today, Chairman of the Jury Council, People’s Artist of Russia Valery Gergiev emphasized that Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region, while maintaining its own cultural identity in the colorful picture of the world, according to VNA. Mr. Gergiev is the general director of the Bolshoi Theater, artistic director and director of the Mariinsky Theater.

Members of the Jury Council of the Lev N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize especially recognized the contributions of Vietnamese leaders in building the country, successfully contributing to the cause of justice in the world, respecting international law, promoting to the world the Vietnamese tradition of love for peace, humanity and dialogue.

Other Jury Council representatives, such as general director of the State Museum Lev N. Tolstoy, descendant of the great writer Tolstoy, Boris Tolstoy; French social activist Pierre de Gaulle; Member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, South African parliamentarian Lindiwe Sisulu especially recognized Vietnam’s success in development and integration. From being almost completely devastated during the war, Vietnam has recovered and shown incredible economic growth, truly an inspiration for many peoples around the world to strive for peace.

With those achievements, all members of the jury unanimously voted to award the 2026 Lev N. Tolstoy Award to Vietnam’s highest leader, General Secretary and President To Lam, as an affirmation to honor mutual understanding and cooperation between peoples.

This is the third time the Lev N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize has been awarded. In 2024, the first prize was awarded to the African Union for its significant contributions to the cause of consolidating peace. In 2025, the winners are President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The award was elected by an International Council of prestigious political, social and cultural activists from Argentina, Belarus, India, China, the Russian Federation, France, South Africa and Japan.