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The submarines, named the HQ-186 Da Nang and HQ-187 Ba Ria-Vung Tau, were among the six submarines that Vietnam purchased from Russia as part of their contract signed in 2009, and the last ones to be delivered.
On behalf of the Government, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the purchase of the most modern diesel-fueled submarines for the Navy is part of the strategic vision of the Party and State to strengthen the national defence at sea and increase capacity for the naval force.
The PM requested the Vietnam People’s Navy to implement seriously the Party and State’s guidelines on addressing disputes in the East Sea, stating that Vietnam consistently and clearly asserts its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.
“With goodwill and efforts, we resolutely and persistently settle any disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and Vietnam’s Law of the Sea 2012, while continuing to work for a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), so that the East Sea is really an area of peace, stability, friendship, and development, for the interests and security of all nations in the region and around the word”, he said.
The PM reiterated Vietnam’s policy of peace and self-defence, noting that the modernisation of military, including the development of a modern submarine fleet, is normal for a marine country.
The move is not an arms race and does not aim at any nations, but to firmly safeguard the national sovereignty over seas, islands, and continental shelf in any circumstances, he stressed.
With a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tonnes, the nearly 74m-long submarine can operate at a maximum depth of 300 meters and a range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles for 45 days with 52 crew members.
