Russia–Vietnam relations
Encyclopedia
Russia–Vietnam relations date back formally to 30 January 1950, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established an embassy to North Vietnam
.
is composed of students with Russian government scholarships. In January 2001, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Soviet-Vietnam ties, Russian president Vladimir Putin
made an official visit to Hanoi
, where he was received by Vietnamese president
Trần Đức Lương. Bilateral trade amounted to $
550 million in 2001; Russian exports to Vietnam included machinery and steel, while Vietnam sold textiles and rice. The two countries also maintained relations in the energy sector, with joint venture Vietsovpetro pumping crude oil from the Bạch Hổ oil field.
In contrast to diplomatic and trade relations, military cooperation between Russia and Vietnam has fallen off since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Navy
maintained a presence in Vietnam at an American-built base in Cam Ranh Bay
which had been turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy
and captured by North Vietnam
ese forces in 1975; by 1987, they had expanded the base to four times its original size and keep peace for the South-East Asia region, this fact is opposite to intelligence of the United States Pacific Fleet
. Analysts suggested that the Vietnamese side also saw the Soviet presence there as a counterweight against any potential Chinese threat. The Soviet Union and Vietnam officially denied any presence there. However, as early as 1988, then-Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze
had discussed the possibility of a withdrawal from Cam Ranh Bay, and concrete troop reductions were realised by 1990. Russia began to withdraw its small remaining forces in 2002.
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia
, began a two-day visit to Vietnam Saturday, July 25, 2009 with both sides hoping to boost ties. Lavrov arrived Friday July 24 and began a full day of meetings and ceremonies Saturday by holding talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem. The talks aimed to develop a "strategic partnership", Lavrov later told reporters.
"Relations between the two countries have developed positively," Lavrov said. "We are convinced that the bilateral cooperation will be at the highest level." Khiem said the talks took place in a "brotherly" atmosphere. "We wish to see better economic cooperation on the foundation of our political relations," he said. Lavrov was also to meet President
Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and visit the Vietnam Russia Bank, a joint venture. Dung expressed hope for a boost in trade with the country which he visited almost two years ago, the state Vietnam News Agency
said.
After the Vietnam War
ended in 1975 the Soviet Union
became Vietnam's main benefactor during the 1980s until the country collapsed in 1991, leaving Vietnam without its ideological, economic and military ally. In rhetoric, Vietnam officially remains one of the world's last socialist countriesthe communist hammer-and-sickle flag can still be seenbut it has embraced a market economy along with Asian and Western investment over the past two decades.
In the late 2000s, Russian influence in Vietnam has begun to grow again but remains far below that of Soviet times. On Saturday July 25, Vietnam and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding between their respective atomic energy agencies but no details were released. "Cooperation on atomic energy will be a priority," Lavrov said.
Energy-hungry Vietnam in 2008 approved the use of atomic power for civilian purposes, and Russia has already said it would like to take part in the planned programme. Khiem said the two sides also reaffirmed their traditional relations in other fields, including defence. Russian media reported in May 2009 that their country had secured an order from Vietnam for Sukhoi Su-30
fighter jets, with deliveries to begin this year. That report came after the Russian newspaper Kommersant
said Vietnam was also about to sign a deal for six Russian submarine
s.
Preliminary Vietnamese government data show that exports to Russia totalled almost 139 million dollars in the first five months of 2009 while imports were valued at about 525 million dollars. Vietnam's former wartime enemy, the United States, which normalised diplomatic ties in 1995, received Vietnamese exports worth more than four billion dollars in the first five months, the data showed. Imports exceeded 932 million dollars.
Vietnam's President Triet, on a visit to Moscow on October 2008, signed a pact for Vietnamese and Russian firms to develop energy fields off the Vietnam coast. In the telecommunications sector, Russia's VimpelCom on mid-July 2009 announced the commercial launch in Vietnam of its Beeline
mobile service through GTEL-Mobile, a joint venture with a Vietnamese state-owned company. Lavrov was to travel Sunday July 26 to southern Ho Chi Minh City
to meet local government officials there.
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
.
History
The USSR was traditionally one of Vietnam's strongest allies; after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, friendly relations were established between Vietnam and Russia, the USSR's main successor state. Nearly 5% of the official count of the Vietnamese population in RussiaVietnamese people in Russia
Vietnamese people in Russia form the 72nd-largest ethnic minority community in Russia according to the 2002 census. With only 26,205 individuals, they are one of the smaller groups of overseas Vietnamese. However, unofficial estimates put their population as high as 100,000 to 150,000...
is composed of students with Russian government scholarships. In January 2001, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Soviet-Vietnam ties, Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
made an official visit to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, where he was received by Vietnamese president
President of Vietnam
The President of Vietnam is the head of state of Vietnam, although the functions of the President are often ceremonial...
Trần Đức Lương. Bilateral trade amounted to $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
550 million in 2001; Russian exports to Vietnam included machinery and steel, while Vietnam sold textiles and rice. The two countries also maintained relations in the energy sector, with joint venture Vietsovpetro pumping crude oil from the Bạch Hổ oil field.
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
maintained a presence in Vietnam at an American-built base in Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
which had been turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy
Republic of Vietnam Navy
The Republic of Vietnam Navy was the naval force of the former Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats from France. After 1955 and the transfer of the armed forces to Vietnamese control, the fleet was supplied from the United States...
and captured by North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
ese forces in 1975; by 1987, they had expanded the base to four times its original size and keep peace for the South-East Asia region, this fact is opposite to intelligence of the United States Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
. Analysts suggested that the Vietnamese side also saw the Soviet presence there as a counterweight against any potential Chinese threat. The Soviet Union and Vietnam officially denied any presence there. However, as early as 1988, then-Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
had discussed the possibility of a withdrawal from Cam Ranh Bay, and concrete troop reductions were realised by 1990. Russia began to withdraw its small remaining forces in 2002.
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia
Foreign Minister of Russia
This is a list of foreign ministers of Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation.-Heads of Posolsky Prikaz, 1549-1699:*Ivan Viskovatyi 1549-62*Andrey Vasilyev 1562-1570*Brothers Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov 1570-1601...
, began a two-day visit to Vietnam Saturday, July 25, 2009 with both sides hoping to boost ties. Lavrov arrived Friday July 24 and began a full day of meetings and ceremonies Saturday by holding talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem. The talks aimed to develop a "strategic partnership", Lavrov later told reporters.
"Relations between the two countries have developed positively," Lavrov said. "We are convinced that the bilateral cooperation will be at the highest level." Khiem said the talks took place in a "brotherly" atmosphere. "We wish to see better economic cooperation on the foundation of our political relations," he said. Lavrov was also to meet President
President of Vietnam
The President of Vietnam is the head of state of Vietnam, although the functions of the President are often ceremonial...
Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and visit the Vietnam Russia Bank, a joint venture. Dung expressed hope for a boost in trade with the country which he visited almost two years ago, the state Vietnam News Agency
Vietnam News Agency
Vietnam News Agency or Vietnamese News Agency is the official news agency of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.-History:*The Vietnamese News Agency was founded in 1945 shortly after the August Revolution...
said.
After the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
ended in 1975 the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
became Vietnam's main benefactor during the 1980s until the country collapsed in 1991, leaving Vietnam without its ideological, economic and military ally. In rhetoric, Vietnam officially remains one of the world's last socialist countriesthe communist hammer-and-sickle flag can still be seenbut it has embraced a market economy along with Asian and Western investment over the past two decades.
In the late 2000s, Russian influence in Vietnam has begun to grow again but remains far below that of Soviet times. On Saturday July 25, Vietnam and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding between their respective atomic energy agencies but no details were released. "Cooperation on atomic energy will be a priority," Lavrov said.
Energy-hungry Vietnam in 2008 approved the use of atomic power for civilian purposes, and Russia has already said it would like to take part in the planned programme. Khiem said the two sides also reaffirmed their traditional relations in other fields, including defence. Russian media reported in May 2009 that their country had secured an order from Vietnam for Sukhoi Su-30
Sukhoi Su-30
The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat military aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.The Su-30 started out as an internal development project in the Sukhoi Su-27 family...
fighter jets, with deliveries to begin this year. That report came after the Russian newspaper Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
said Vietnam was also about to sign a deal for six Russian submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s.
Preliminary Vietnamese government data show that exports to Russia totalled almost 139 million dollars in the first five months of 2009 while imports were valued at about 525 million dollars. Vietnam's former wartime enemy, the United States, which normalised diplomatic ties in 1995, received Vietnamese exports worth more than four billion dollars in the first five months, the data showed. Imports exceeded 932 million dollars.
Vietnam's President Triet, on a visit to Moscow on October 2008, signed a pact for Vietnamese and Russian firms to develop energy fields off the Vietnam coast. In the telecommunications sector, Russia's VimpelCom on mid-July 2009 announced the commercial launch in Vietnam of its Beeline
Beeline
Beelining is an ancient art used to locate feral bee colonies by capturing and marking foraging worker bees, then releasing them from various points to establish the direction and distance of the colony's home...
mobile service through GTEL-Mobile, a joint venture with a Vietnamese state-owned company. Lavrov was to travel Sunday July 26 to southern Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
to meet local government officials there.