By Carl Thayer
A visit to Vietnam by Vladimir Putin is just the latest sign of the former allies’ growing ties.
President Vladimir Putin paid a whirlwind one-day visit to Hanoi on November 12 to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership reached with Vietnam last year. This was Putin’s third visit to Vietnam and his second since assuming the office of President of the Russian Federation.
Putin met Vietnam’s top three leaders, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, President Truong Tan Sang and party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong. At the conclusion of his visit it was announced that seventeen bilateral agreements had been reached, including five in the oil, gas and energy sectors. These agreements were a reflection of the broad-based nature of bilateral relations developed ten years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Vietnam’s armed forces — air defense air force, navy, armor and artillery corps — are dependent on Soviet-era spare parts and equipment and badly in need of modernization. Between 1993 and 2000, Russia sold Vietnam twelve Su-27SK and Su-27UB Flanker jet aircraft, two missile attack corvettes, four radar systems, and other military equipment.
In March 2001, the Russian Federation became Vietnam’s first strategic partner. At that time the two sides mapped out eight major areas of cooperation: political-diplomatic, oil and gas, hydro power and nuclear energy, trade and investment, science and technology, education and training, culture and tourism, military equipment, and technology.
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