The third of the six submarines that Russia is building for Vietnam named HQ-184 Hai Phong will be launched later this month, according to the Voice of Russia.

The submarine is part of a contract to supply six Kilo-class submarines to Vietnam signed during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Russia in 2009.

The contract, which also stipulated the training of Vietnamese crews in Russia, is scheduled to be completed in 2016.

The Voice of Russia quoted Russian military experts as saying that the first two submarines, named HQ-182 Hanoi and HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City, would journey to Vietnam through Suez Canal.

The first of the vessels for which a Vietnamese crew has been training since April, is expected to be delivered to the country in November this year.

Varshavyanka (Kilo) diesel-electric submarines, which feature 533-millimetre torpedo tubes, are armed with torpedoes, mines and Kalibr 3M54 cruise missiles. They have displacement of 3,100 tonnes, reach speeds of 20 nautical miles per hour, can dive to 300 metres and carry a crew of 52.

They are primarily designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine missions in relatively shallow waters.-VNA