A flag-raising ceremony for two new Kilo-class submarines that Vietnam bought from Russia was held at a military port in a south-central province on Saturday.
The Vietnam People's Navy yesterday organized the ceremony at Cam Ranh Military Port, located in Khanh Hoa Province, to mark their admission of the two Kilo-class subs, HQ 184-Hai Phong and HQ 185-Khanh Hoa.
The HQ-184 Hai Phong is 73.8 meters long and 9.9 meters wide.
It has a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tons and an operation range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles.
Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam is pictured handing over the national flag and Navy’s flag to captains of the HQ 184-Hai Phong and HQ 185-Khanh Hoa. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The vessel can travel at 20 nautical miles per hour and operate for 45 consecutive days with a crew of 52 members at an average depth of 240 meters, which can be extended to 300 meters at most.
The Saturday ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnam People's Navy High Command, and officers and soldiers of the Navy’s Brigade 189.
The captain and politics officers of the HQ 185- Khanh Hoa submarine are seen hoisting the national flag and Navy’s flag. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The two vessels will be handed over to the brigade.
Addressing the ceremony, Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy, noted that these hi-end submarines will mark a new development stage of the Vietnam People’s Navy in particular and the Vietnam People’s Army in general.
The vessels will contribute greatly to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its seas and land, Rear Admiral Nam stressed.
The HQ 184-Hai Phong submarine is pictured during the ceremony. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The two vessels are the third and fourth of the six 636 Varshavyanka (Kilo)-class submarines that Vietnam contracted to buy from Russia when Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited the country in 2009.
Under the contract, worth nearly US$2 billion, all six submarines are to be built at the Russian Navy’s Admiralty Verfi Shipyard, according to news website Dat Viet (Vietnam Land).
The first submarine of the order, HQ-182 Hanoi, was delivered to Vietnam on December 31, 2013, while the second – HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City – arrived on March 19, 2014.
The HQ 185-Khanh Hoa is pictured during the ceremony. Photo:Tuoi Tre
The four Kilo-class submarines are currently docked in line at Cam Ranh.
The fifth sub, HQ 186-Da Nang, was launched on December 28, 2014 and is being test-run.
The last of the six, HQ 187-Ba Ria-Vung Tau, started being built on May 28 last year.
Russia is scheduled to hand over the final two vessels to Vietnam in 2015-16.
