{"id":43568,"date":"2023-12-21T14:13:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T22:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweet-pascal.52-27-215-206.plesk.page\/vietnams-fraternal-ties-with-russia-are-put-to-the-test\/"},"modified":"2023-12-21T14:13:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T22:13:12","slug":"vietnams-fraternal-ties-with-russia-are-put-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/vietnams-fraternal-ties-with-russia-are-put-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam\u2019s fraternal ties with Russia are put to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"

>>> For more on this topic, read the complete Bear East series here<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Across Southeast Asia, no nation has such a close and long-standing relationship with Russia as Vietnam. Moscow is not only one of Hanoi\u2019s few trusted \u201ccomprehensive strategic\u201d partners, but for decades has been its main defense supplier.<\/span><\/p>\n

This special \u201ctraditional and fraternal\u201d relationship, however, is now facing its most serious test as Hanoi seeks to diversify its international relationships and cozies up to the West.<\/span><\/p>\n

Six Kilo submarines<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no greater symbol of the increasingly complex defense relationship than the six state-of-the-art Kilo-class submarines that Vietnam purchased from Russia in December 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n

The US$2 billion contract signed by the-then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung remains Vietnam\u2019s biggest ever arms deal and involves costly ongoing maintenance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dubbed the \u201cblack hole\u201d for its stealthiness, the diesel-electric submersible was said to be in high demand, but the contract was signed and executed promptly to help Vietnam meet its defense needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In just eight years, the six submarines were manufactured and delivered to Cam Ranh Naval Base in central Vietnam where they\u2019ve been sitting quietly since. Not much has been heard about them until this July, when the general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party mentioned them in his just-released book on Vietnam\u2019s defense strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Vietnamese Kilo submarines thread – Largest submarine force in ASEAN with 6 submarines. Dubbed the “black hole” since its so difficult to detect; known to sneak undetected next to aircraft carriers. It has 6 torpedo tubes, carries Russian Kalibr cruise missiles. #Vietnam<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QlxLTREYOc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Indo-Pacific News – Geo-Politics & Defense News (@IndoPac_Info) September 29, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c[B]uying six Kilo-class submarines all at once was not entirely the best option if you look at it from an international angle, considering their effectiveness and deterrence capabilities,\u201d wrote Nguyen Phu Trong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those rare if cryptic words from Vietnam\u2019s top political leader may point to a certain amount of political infighting, but they also may signal a reconsideration of the role of Russia as the country\u2019s main \u2013 and in some areas the only \u2013 military equipment supplier.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dependence on Russian arms was rooted in the Vietnam War. According to <\/span>official sources<\/span><\/a>, in the period between 1961 and 1964, the Soviet Union provided North Vietnam with more than $200 million worth of weapons and military equipment, which served as the backbone of the North Vietnamese navy and air force.<\/span><\/p>\n

Military aid was doubled in 1965 to $210 million in one year alone and increased to $910.7 million in the three following years. The majority of North Vietnam\u2019s arsenal then was from the USSR.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanoi still is Russia\u2019s biggest arms buyer in Southeast Asia, accounting for more than 60% of its regional sales. According to the <\/span>Stockholm International Peace Research Institute<\/span><\/a>, between 1995 and 2021, Vietnam imported $9.1 billion worth of weapons and military equipment, among which Russia accounted for $7.4 billion or 81.6%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major buys were, apart from the six submarines, Sukhoi Su-30MK2 multirole aircraft, Gepard 3.9 class frigates, patrol and fast attack ships, T-90SK main battle tanks and Bastion coastal defense missile systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVietnam\u2019s dependence on Russian arms was further exacerbated by the fact that it could not find alternative and reliable sources of imports,\u201d <\/span>Le Hong Hiep<\/span><\/a>, coordinator of the Vietnam Studies Programme at ISEAS \u2013 Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, recently wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArms from Western countries were generally less affordable than Russian arms. Even if Vietnam could afford them, some would not be available due to sanctions and export controls,\u201d Hiep wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the researcher, the reduction in Russia\u2019s arms sales to the region in the wake of Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has made it \u201cimperative for Vietnam to accelerate its diversification of arms imports away from Russia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vietnamese military officials and foreign delegates look at a model of a HELINA missile during the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 in Hanoi, Dec. 8, 2022. Credit: Nhac Nguyen\/AFP<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Diversification<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the Vietnam People\u2019s Army is likely to depend on equipment originally supplied by Russia for years to come, for multiple reasons Hanoi has begun to diversify its military procurement and to rely less on Russia,\u201d according to a <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in March.<\/span><\/p>\n

An international arms trade fair was held in December 2021, in Hanoi. Vietnam Defence 2022 helped “diversify defense equipment procurement sources,\u201d said Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the opening ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fair also aimed at \u201cintroducing Vietnam\u2019s defense capabilities and Vietnamese-made weapons to our international friends,\u201d according to Maj. Gen. Nguyen Viet Hung, deputy political commissar of the army\u2019s General Department of Defense Industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe diversification is happening now,\u201d said Nguyen The Phuong, a Vietnam military specialist at the University of New South Wales. \u201cVietnam\u2019s engaging with other arms manufacturing countries such as South Korea or the Czech Republic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother approach is to develop a strong domestic defense industry, which has already yielded some initial results,\u201d Phuong said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is a long-term goal. In the short term, the best option from Vietnam’s perspective would still be to rely on Russian supply because there is no alternative for big ticket items,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reuters <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that Vietnam and the United States are negotiating the sale of a number of F-16 fighter jets to Hanoi, after the two countries established a so-called comprehensive strategic partnership in September.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vietnam, however, continues to pursue large-scale arms procurement from Russia. Radio Free Asia saw an official document dated May 27, 2023, and signed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, informing the Russian government of Vietnam\u2019s interest in \u201ca new loan from the government of the Russian Federation for Vietnam to purchase Russian-produced weapons and military equipment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In July and August, Vietnamese officials including Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and Deputy Minister Hoang Xuan Chien made several visits to Russia \u201cto promote defense cooperation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Chien was quoted as saying that Vietnam plans to make “every effort to implement” the plans that were agreed with Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVietnam will always be with you in any conditions,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

A statue of Soviet communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in central Hanoi, June 29, 2023. Credit: Tran Viet Duc\/RFA<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

‘Mr. Soviet Union’<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s fair to say that Hanoi and Moscow have a special relationship that\u2019s built on a history of politics, ideology, but also a relationship that developed during a crucial stage of the history of the Communist Party,\u201d said Jonathan London, a Vietnamese expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for people in the U.S. and around the world to appreciate that it’s an absolutely important and significant part of Vietnam\u2019s history, politics, political culture, it\u2019s not something that is going to disappear,\u201d London said.<\/span><\/p>\n

A large proportion of the Communist Party and state personnel were trained in the former Soviet Union. According to official statistics, from 1950 to the present day more than 50,000 Vietnamese were educated in the USSR, and after that, Russia. Some of them became successful, such as Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of Vietnam\u2019s leading business VinGroup, or Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO of VietJet Air.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Soviet scholarships are no longer on offer, there are still an estimated 6,000 Vietnamese students studying in Russia, mostly in Moscow and St. Petersburg.<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides the students, around 200,000 factory workers were also sent to all corners of the Soviet Union between 1980 and 1989. Many of them remained there after the collapse of the USSR.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Soviet MIG-21 warplane on display at Vietnam\u2019s Air Force and Air Defense Museum in Hanoi, June 30, 2023. Credit: Tran Viet Duc\/RFA<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

The connection was particularly strong during the Vietnam War and immediately after, when the Soviet Union was the sole supporter of Vietnam\u2019s post-war economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some 13,500 Vietnamese officers underwent training in Soviet military academies and schools and nearly 11,000 Soviet military advisors were sent to North Vietnam during the war.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1965, the USSR agreed to supply North Vietnam with financial aid, military equipment and advisers.<\/span><\/p>\n

China was another wartime ally, but Moscow\u2019s influence was predominant during the 1970s and 1980s when Beijing and Hanoi severed ties after the Vietnamese leadership accused China of \u201cbetraying Vietnam\u2019s revolution\u201d and \u201cmaking a deal with U.S. imperialists behind our back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the departure of the last French troops from North Vietnam in 1954, most foreigners seen in areas above the 17th parallel – the demarcation line between North and South – were from the USSR. Until the 1990s, the Vietnamese still referred to any Caucasian-looking person on the street as \u201cOng Lien Xo,\u201d or \u201cMr. Soviet Union.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanoi is probably the only city outside the former Soviet Union that still hosts not only a Lenin statue but also one of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the fearsome Soviet secret police chief.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Soviet-built \u201cFriendship Culture Palace\u201d in central Hanoi, June 30, 2023. Credit: Tran Viet Duc\/RFA<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Russian businesses still play an important role in Vietnam\u2019s economy, with three Russian state-owned energy companies \u2013 Zarubezhneft, Gazprom and Rosneft \u2013 operating there. Oil contributes trillions of dong in revenue for Vietnam\u2019s government budget, and the presence of Russian firms has also been seen as a sign of support for the country\u2019s sovereignty claims in disputed areas in the South China Sea, where Western oil companies withdrew under China\u2019s threats.<\/span><\/p>\n

With such strong historical and strategic connections, it\u2019s easy to understand why Hanoi took a neutral stance and refused to condemn Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in February 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet criticism has emerged as Vietnam has opened up to the West for both political and economic purposes. Ordinary people now care more about their living standards and education than the past wars and ideologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that shift in attitude has become more and more noticeable. Political commentator Pham Gia Minh, who also went to university in Russia, said that the war in Ukraine was a divisive issue, even in his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy son is supportive of Ukraine and he often argues with me about Russia. Among my friends, too, there are people who hate the war and Putin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan London from Leiden University said that the war in Ukraine caused a significant fracture in Vietnam\u2019s political system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that many people in Vietnam\u2019s party and state that historically have a lot of sympathy and experience with Russia were absolutely appalled and outraged by this war,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Vietnam\u2019s ministry of defense, the army, the political elite, there is a deep concern, reservation and even anger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A woman reads a Vietnamese newspaper featuring front-page coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at her stall in Hanoi on Feb. 25, 2022. Credit: Nam Nguyen\/AFP<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanoi’s balancing act<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hanoi is now facing the real test of how to navigate between world powers such as Russia, China, Europe and the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican influence is probably the strongest at the moment, especially over young people. But Russia has its clout in military matters and also in the exploration of natural resources, such as oil and gas,\u201d Pham Gia Minh said. \u201cSo, Hanoi wishes to maintain traditional ties with Russia and not have to pick sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vietnamese strategists have recently spoken about \u201cbamboo diplomacy\u201d \u2013 an increasingly popular concept among countries in Southeast Asia, symbolized by the ability of the bamboo plant to bend with the wind but never break.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vietnamese leadership has been promoting the motto, \u201cBe friends with every country in the world,\u201d while maintaining the \u201cPrinciple of Three No\u2019s\u201d (no partaking in military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, and no foreign military bases on Vietnamese territory) in its defense policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even foreign ship port calls are divided equally among partner states.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe key for Vietnam and its leadership is how skillfully they can cultivate the relationships that promote their best interests,\u201d London said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The invasion of Ukraine has put Vietnam \u201cbetween a rock and a hard place,\u201d said Carl Thayer, a veteran Vietnam expert from the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Communist Party in 2021 \u201capproved the most ambitious military modernization program in Vietnam\u2019s history,\u201d according to Thayer, who noted that with $7.4 billion worth of arms sales during 1995-2021, Russia still tops the list of military providers to Vietnam by a very large margin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe main challenges for the Hanoi leadership at the moment are to avoid U.S. and Western sanctions for purchasing arms and military technology from Russia and to maintain a high economic growth,\u201d he said. \u201cWestern arms would be much more expensive, less bang for the buck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Military training is another issue to be addressed. A large proportion of Vietnam\u2019s army personnel was trained in Russia and will have to be re-trained if they switch to Western systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVietnam is currently giving priority to MRO \u2013 maintenance, repair and overhaul – for its aging Russian legacy weapons and platforms,\u201d Thayer said. \u201cIf Vietnam doesn\u2019t act quickly its capabilities will decline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CCCP, a Russian restaurant, is seen in Hanoi, June 30, 2023. CCCP is the Russian abbreviation for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Credit: Tran Viet Duc\/RFA<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Mat Pennington and Jim Snyder<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tin t\u1eeb RFA Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

>>> For more on this topic, read the complete Bear East series here. Across Southeast Asia, no nation has such a close and long-standing relationship with Russia as Vietnam. Moscow is not only one of Hanoi\u2019s few trusted \u201ccomprehensive strategic\u201d partners, but for decades has been its main defense supplier. This special \u201ctraditional and fraternal\u201d …<\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":43569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82,239],"tags":[246,251],"class_list":["post-43568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society","category-vietnam","tag-english","tag-rfa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietvalley.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}