The Vietnamese Navy raises the flag on its sixth submarine.

On the morning of February 28th, the Vietnam Navy solemnly held a national flag-raising ceremony for submarines HQ-186 Da Nang and HQ-187 Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

The submarine flag-raising ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, along with leaders of the Vietnam People's Army, the Navy, and representatives from central and local ministries, departments, and units within the military.

With the flag-raising ceremony for these two submarines, Vietnam now possesses a total of six modern submarines. This event also marks an important historical milestone in the modernization process, enhancing combat capabilities and the strength to protect the sovereignty of the country's seas, islands, and continental shelf; elevating the power of the Vietnamese Navy.

The Da Nang submarine, hull number HQ-186, before the flag-raising ceremony. Photo: An Binh.

Earlier, on the morning of January 20th, the Dutch transport ship Rolldock Storm brought the Kilo-class submarine HQ-187 Ba Ria - Vung Tau to Cam Ranh Bay (Khanh Hoa province), after a journey of more than 41 days since leaving Saint Petersburg port (Russia).

The submarine HQ-187 Ba Ria - Vung Tau is the last of the six Varshavyanka 636.1 (Kilo) class submarines that Vietnam ordered from Russia, under a contract signed on December 15, 2009. The steel was cut on May 28, 2014, and the submarine was launched on September 28, 2015.

A squadron of missile boats during a flag-raising ceremony. Photo: An Binh.

Like previous submarines, after arriving in Cam Ranh Bay, experts will carry out technical procedures to allow the HQ-187 Ba Ria - Vung Tau submarine to leave the Rolldock Storm transport ship and enter Cam Ranh naval port. Afterward, the HQ-187 Ba Ria - Vung Tau submarine will join the formation with the Kilo-class submarines that arrived earlier.

On December 31, 2013, the first Kilo-class submarine to arrive in Vietnam was HQ-182 Hanoi. This was followed by HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City (March 2014), HQ-184 Hai Phong (January 28, 2015), HQ-185 Khanh Hoa (June 2015), and HQ-186 Da Nang (February 2016).

Officers prepare for the submarine flag-raising ceremony at Cam Ranh naval base. Photo: An Binh.

The Kilo-class is the NATO designation for large diesel-electric submarines built by Russia. The official Russian designation for this class of submarine is Project 636. The original version of these submarines was Project 877 Paltus (Turbot).

The Kilo 636 submarine is designed to destroy enemy submarines, surface ships, and other watercraft. The Kilo 636 can operate independently or according to various mission requirements. It operates very quietly and is nicknamed the "Ocean Black Hole" because of its ability to "disappear."

According to Kienthuc.vn