Russia has announced its plan to supply Vietnam with 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses at the meeting between Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Yurievich Krivoruchko met Vietnamese National Defence Minister Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on September 4.

Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang (R) and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Yurievich Krivoruchko in Hanoi on September 4. Photo: QDND

The commitment shows Russia’s goodwill and friendship towards Vietnam, Giang said at the meeting in the framework of the International Army Games 2021 held in Hanoi.

During the meeting, Giang also highlighted the role of defense ties in the Vietnam-Russia relations, saying that it is key to the long-lasting relationship.

He appreciated Russia’s initiative of holding the International Army Games, affirming that Vietnam supports the event.

In the Army Games 2021, Vietnam for the first time hosted two competitions “Sniper Frontier” and “Emergency Area” attracting nearly 200 participants from eight countries namely Bangladesh, Belarus, Laos, Mali, Russia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and the host Vietnam.

Vietnam also sent two Gepard 3.9 frigates 015 Tran Hung Dao and 016 Quang Trung to compete at the “Sea Cup” competition. The two ships were built by Russia.

In the Army Games 2020, the Vietnamese tank crew was crowned champion in the Tank Biathlon competition.

Sputnik V Covid-19 Vaccine. Photo: AFP/VNA

Regarding vaccines, it’s not sure which kind of vaccines that Russia will provide to Vietnam. However, the Russia-made Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine has got Vietnam’s approval for emergency use in the country.

Sputnik V has transferred vaccine production technology to Vietnam. In mid-July, the Vaccine and Biological Production Company No.1 (VABIOTECH), one of Vietnam’s leading pharmaceutical companies, produced the first batch of Sputnik V vaccines in the country.

The first validation samples taken from the produced batch has been shipped to the Gamaleya Center for quality control, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund

(RDIF), a sovereign wealth fund of Russia that is also in charge of the tech transfer.

The tech transfer is aimed to supply quality and affordable Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.

On July 12, the Vietnamese Government agreed to allow private conglomerate T&T Group to import 40 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. T&T will use its own money to buy the doses, which will be administered free of charge by the government.

To date, the Sputnik V shot has been widely used in Russia and approved for use in 68 countries. The vaccine has not been licensed by the World Health Organization (WHO) yet.

In mid-May, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested the WHO should approve the use of Sputnik V. He pointed out that the UN has called on all its employees to be vaccinated with the Russian vaccine in countries where it has been approved.

RDIF, the group responsible for marketing the vaccine worldwide, reported that the efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020, to March 31, 2021.