VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s orders for Kilo submarines, Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 fighter aircraft, Svetlyak class high-speed patrol boats and Gepard frigates from Russia are considered not only purely commercial military operations.

Russia helps improve VN's combat readiness

On August 6-10, the Defense Minister of Vietnam – Mr. Phung Quang Thanh – paid a visit to Russia. Speaking to the press, Thanh said the visit achieved good results and the two countries reached important agreements in promoting the strategic partnerships and technical - military, defense cooperation.

From strategy...

The Vietnam-Russia "comprehensive strategic partnership," signed by President Truong Tan Sang and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in May 2012 is the ground to expand the strategic ties to the military field, including macro issues such as cooperation in research and application of military doctrine, military art in time of war using high-tech weapons, electronic - information war...

Vietnam - Russia military cooperation will strengthen the traditional relations of friendship for peace, development and not aim at a third country.

Vietnam’s orders for Kilo submarines, Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 fighter aircraft, Svetlyak class high-speed patrol boats and Gepard frigates from Russia are considered not only purely commercial military operations, but the evidence for the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

…to technology

During the visit of Minister Phung Quang Thanh, the two countries' defense ministers adopted a 5-year plan to train Vietnamese officers, the plans to provide weapons and military equipment to the People's Army of Vietnam. Accordingly, the upgrade, digitalization, maintenance and synchronization of the supply of weapons and military technical equipment will be conducted. Therefore, military technical cooperation, personnel training, technology transfer and making joint ventures for technical maintenance and repair is essential.

In the meeting with Minister Thanh, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu affirmed that the relations with Vietnam are one of the priorities in the defense foreign policy of Russia.

He said Russia considers Vietnam a "strategic partner, the former close and reliable friend." According to him, in the current context in the world and Asia - Pacific region, cooperation with Vietnam in the field of military and military technology is more important.

Vietnam also identified Russia as a strategic partner in military technology cooperation. The interaction in the field of training, exchange of information, scientific research ... is also growing.

The Vietnam Defense Minister affirmed that military training cooperation continues to be one of the directions of important defense cooperation between the two countries.

And the defense ties

Defense relations with a wide range, including all directly and indirectly related sectors to the national defense strategy, military and non-military operations, in which economic cooperation is the foundation of defense cooperation. Thus, bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries has also been strengthened.

Russia has become the third largest foreign investor in Vietnam, behind only Japan and Singapore. Last year, the two countries signed an agreement for Russia to build the nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan province with total loans of $800 million and the project will be completed in 2020.

The agreement signed in 1994 between the two Defense Ministries and the orientations for technical military cooperation (signed in 1998) have become a reliable basis for the defense relationship between the two countries.

In recent years, relations between Vietnam - Russia have successfully developed in many areas, including defense cooperation. This is entirely consistent with the spirit of the strategic partnership.

The visit to Russia of the Vietnam Defense Minister has made important marks in military cooperation between the two countries.

Nguyen Nham