A monument to soldiers of the Soviet Union, Russia and Vietnam was inaugurated at Cam Ranh airport in the southcentral coastal province of Khanh Hoa on December 10 to mark the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic ties.

Construction of the monument, which is 21m tall and weighs more than 800 tonnes, started in 2007 on top of a 6m-high hill with an investment of more than VND18 billion provided by the Vietnam-Russia oil and gas joint venture, Vietsovpetro.

The monument is engraved with the names of 44 Soviet Union/Russian servicemen and 176 Vietnamese soldiers who died during missions at Cam Ranh base and in central Vietnam.

On the occasion, the State President and Prime Minister of Vietnam awarded Orders, Friendship Medals and Certificates of Merit to a number of units and individuals in Vietnam and Russia in recognition of their contributions to Vietsovpetro, a symbol of the Vietnam-Russia cooperation.