Russia–Vietnam relations

Russia-Vietnam relations date back formally to 30 January, 1950, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established an embassy to North Vietnam.cite news|url=http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/news/story.php?d=20010305003822|title=Vietnam-Russia traditional ties reach new heights|date=2001-03-05|accessdate=2007-08-08|publisher=Embassy of Vietnam in the United States of America] 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 Russia is composed of students with Russian government scholarships. [cite news|url=http://www.mofa.gov.vn/en/nr040807104143/nr040807105001/ns050128090140|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam|date=2006-01-25|accessdate=2007-08-08|title=Russian FM stresses traditional relations with Vietnam] 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 Bach Ho field.cite news|work=Asia Times|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/DG12Ag01.html|title=Russia committed to Vietnamese oil|last=Blagov|first=Sergei|date=2002-07-12|accessdate=2008-01-04]

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 Vietnamese forces in 1975; by 1987, they had expanded the base to four times its original size and often made mock attacks in the direction of the Philippines, according 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. [cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3D81F3FF932A35750C0A961948260|work=The New York Times|title=Russians in Vietnam: U.S. sees a threat|last=Trainor|first=Bernard E.|date=1987-03-01|accessdate=2007-01-04] 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. [cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3DE1130F930A15751C1A96E948260|work=The New York Times|title=Soviets Hint at Leaving Cam Ranh Bay|last=Mydans|first=Seth|date=1988-12-23|accessdate=2008-01-04] [cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7DA103FF937A35755C0A966958260|work=The New York Times|title=Japanese-U.S. Relations Undergoing a Redesign|last=Weisman|first=Steven R.|date=1990-06-04|accessdate=2008-01-04] Russia began to withdraw its small remaining forces in 2002. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1894249.stm|title=Russia to stress Vietnam ties|date=2002-03-26|accessdate=2008-01-04|last=Arthurs|first=Clare]

References

External links

* [http://www.vietnamembassy-russia.org/vi/index.php Vietnamese embassy in Moscow (Vietnamese)]
* [http://www.vietnamconsulate-vladivostok.org/vi/ Vietnamese consulate in Vladivostok (Vietnamese)]