A Kilo-class submarine christened HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh docked at Cam Ranh Bay in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa during the overnight hours of March 19.
Kilo-class submarine HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh. Photo by DTiNews
The event marks delivery of the second of six Kilo-class submarines Vietnam has contracted to purchase from Russia pursuant to an agreement signed in 2009.The first submarine, dubbed HQ-182 Hanoi, successfully made its first maiden voyage on January 8, 2014.
This latest arrival, HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh, is scheduled to complete customs procedures and a security check over the next two days before being led to a naval base.
As scheduled, the third vessel, named HQ-184 Haiphong, will be delivered to Vietnam in November 2014, and the three remaining ones - HQ-185 Khanh Hoa, HQ-186 Danang, and HQ-187 Ba Ria-Vung Tau – will be transferred to Vietnam within the next two years.