Three weeks after Vietnam received Kilo HQ-182 Hanoi, the first of six Kilo-class submarines Vietnam contracted to buy from Russia in 2009, the second of its kind is on its way to Vietnam.

>> Kilo-class submarine transferred to Vietnam brigade>> Vietnam’s first submarine launched in Cam Ranh>> 1st kilo-class submarine arrives in Vietnam The second submarine, named HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City, has left Admiralty Verfi Shipyards in St. Petersburg and is traveling to Kaliningrad, where it will be loaded onto a specialized cargo ship to be transported to Vietnam, said Russia’s Interfax-AVN military news agency. The submarine is expected to arrive in Vietnam in six weeks, in early March. This is the second of six Kilo-class submarines covered in a contract Vietnam signed with Russia during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to the country in 2009. The vessel HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City recently passed its technical tests, and a document to this effect was signed on January 16, 2014 at Admiralty Verfi Shipyard. The first of its kind, Kilo HQ-182 Hanoi, was delivered to Vietnam in November 2013. It was transported to Cam Ranh military port on December 31, 2013 and successfully made its maiden voyage on January 8, 2014. The submarine has a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tons each, can operate at a maximum depth of 300 meters at a range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles for 45 days and nights, and carry a crew of 52. The third vessel, named HQ-184 Haiphong, was launched in Russia on August 28, 2013, and will be delivered to Vietnam this year. The three remaining submarines are HQ-186 Khanh Hoa, HQ-185 Da Nang, and HQ- 87 Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The possession of Kilo-class submarines will remarkably enhance the strength of the Vietnam People’s Navy, contributing to protecting the country’s sovereignty over territorial seas, according to Vietnam News Agency.