Russia gets cosy again in cold war port
Moscow military chief proves '5-star' general - that's the quality of the 'resort' for his troops he secured near Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh Bay
The Russians, it seems, are once again getting themselves nice and cosy in Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay - the prized South China Sea port - as naval relations between the two countries deepen.
Hanoi may never allow Moscow the major naval base and listening post it developed during the cold war, but the visit of the Russian defence minister this week confirmed expanding plans for a significant military presence for some time to come.
Russian technicians will soon be helping Vietnam prepare the base on the south-central coast for the first of six state-of-the-art Kilo diesel-electric submarines it is acquiring from Russia.
Two of the subs have been built and are undergoing sea trials in the North Sea, with the first due to arrive in August - significantly boosting Vietnam's efforts to create a deterrent against China's naval rise, according to military analysts.
The talks between Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu confirmed a series of fresh moves beyond the sub base.
Training and technology transfer related to the submarines would be expanded while the Vietnamese-Russian oil joint venture Vietsovpetro would have a stake in a commercial repair facility - which will be built by a Vietnamese naval company and will be open to international navies.
Shoigu also pushed Thanh to approve a "five-star" resort near Cam Ranh Bay to house both Russian and Vietnamese troops, according to diplomats and state-press reports - a facility raising eyebrows among foreign military attaches wondering just how large the Russian presence will be.
