The USSR and Vietnam: a story of a great friendship

Russia and Vietnam share a special relationship that is already more than seventy years old. The roots of this friendship go back to the Soviet era: the USSR helped Vietnam in its hardest years, trained its engineers and doctors, and for many years kept a military base at Cam Ranh, near Nha Trang. Here, in simple terms, is how this friendship grew and why its traces can still be seen in Vietnam today.

How it all began: Ho Chi Minh and Moscow

The link between Vietnam and Moscow appeared long before socialist Vietnam was founded. The country's future leader, Ho Chi Minh, lived and studied in Moscow back in the 1920s, was tied to the Comintern, and there absorbed the ideas with which he later built an independent Vietnam.

At the same time, the first dozens of Vietnamese revolutionaries passed through Soviet schools. So Moscow became both a support and a school for the Vietnamese national movement.

1950: the USSR recognises Vietnam

On 30 January 1950 the Soviet Union officially established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam — becoming one of the first countries to recognise the young republic. For Vietnam, then fighting for independence, this was vital support.

In 1955 Ho Chi Minh visited Moscow for the first time as head of state, and the USSR announced its first large-scale economic aid. That was the start of decades of close cooperation.

Aid during the war years

In the 1960s and 70s, during the war, the Soviet Union became North Vietnam's main military and economic ally. The USSR supplied S-75 anti-aircraft missiles, MiG fighters, radars and equipment that helped cover the Vietnamese skies.

People came along with the hardware: thousands of Soviet military specialists trained the Vietnamese to use the new equipment and air-defence systems. This aid played a notable role in the outcome of the war.

Tens of thousands of Vietnamese studied in the USSR

The friendship was not only military. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese were educated in the Soviet Union — engineers, doctors, scientists, officers and future leaders of the country studied in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and other cities.

Many of them kept the Russian language and warm memories for life. To this day, many older Vietnamese speak Russian — a living legacy of those years.

The 1978 Treaty of Friendship

On 3 November 1978 the USSR and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. It sealed the alliance of the two countries at the highest level — in politics, economics and defence.

The treaty opened a new stage: Soviet aid went towards rebuilding and developing the country after long years of war, and Vietnam became one of the USSR's closest allies in Asia.

Cam Ranh: a Soviet base right next to Nha Trang

The closest trace of that era to us is Cam Ranh Bay, near Nha Trang. In 1979 the USSR leased it and set up a large naval base here — the biggest one outside the Soviet Union.

From 1979 to 2002, Soviet and then Russian sailors and pilots served here. For many of our compatriots, Cam Ranh and Nha Trang became truly familiar places, and in Cam Ranh there is a memorial to the fallen Soviet, Russian and Vietnamese servicemen.

Vietsovpetro: oil shared between two

In 1981 the joint venture Vietsovpetro was created — to extract oil and gas off the coast near the city of Vung Tau. The USSR provided the technology and specialists, Vietnam the resources, and the shares were split fifty-fifty.

This enterprise became a symbol of peaceful cooperation: it has already extracted hundreds of millions of tonnes of oil and is still working, remaining one of the pillars of Russian–Vietnamese economic ties.

Traces of friendship: the mausoleum and monuments

The friendship also left visible monuments in Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi — the main one — was built in the mid-1970s with the help of Soviet specialists and modelled on Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow.

Across the country there remain buildings, factories, power plants and bridges built with Soviet help, as well as streets and memorial signs recalling the shared history.

The Russian language and human ties

Over the decades of friendship, thousands of personal stories grew up between the two peoples: studying together, working together, mixed families. Vietnamese went to work in the USSR, Soviet specialists came to Vietnam.

These human ties proved stronger than politics. It's thanks to them that Russian-speaking guests in Vietnam are often treated especially warmly — as friends, not just tourists.

Russia and Vietnam today

After the collapse of the USSR the relationship did not break off but grew into a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam. Joint projects continue, trade goes on, and there is cooperation in energy and education.

Vietnam is also one of Russian tourists' favourite destinations, and Nha Trang and Cam Ranh have long felt almost like a second home to them: Russian speech, signs and cafes are everywhere here.

What it means for a visitor to Nha Trang

Arriving in Nha Trang, a Russian-speaking guest enters a place with a genuinely shared history — here the friendship of our countries is felt not from textbooks but in real life. That makes a holiday especially warm and close.

And if you'd like to congratulate a loved one, partner or friend right here — we'll deliver a fresh bouquet or helium balloons to a hotel, villa or office the same day. Message us on WhatsApp, Telegram or KakaoTalk.