MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong discussed shipment of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine during a phone call, as well as other matters of Russian-Vietnamese relations and pressing international issues, the Kremlin press service announced Monday.

"The sides discussed the prospects of joint countering of the coronavirus infection, as well as deepening of contacts between relevant agencies on shipment of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine," the statement says.

The sides "confirmed their intent for further dynamic development of the entire complex of Russian-Vietnamese ties."

The two leaders discussed the issues of cooperation in trade, energy, science and humanitarian field.

"During the exchange of opinions on the relevant international agenda, the sides underscored their interest in further close cooperation within multilateral associations, including in the UN and ASEAN," the Kremlin press service said.

During the call, Putin congratulated Nguyen Phu Trong on re-election as the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and relayed his congratulations to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who entered office on Monday.

Vaccination in Vietnam

Currently, Vietnam carries out vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine; the first shipment of 117,000 doses was received in late February. The second registered vaccine in Vietnam is Sputnik V. The first batch of the Sputnik V was brought by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, who visited the republic on March 16-17. The Sputnik V batch was handed over to Vietnam free of charge.

Health Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Thanh Long stated during a meeting with foreign ambassadors earlier that Hanoi expects that cooperation with Russia on shipment and domestic production of Sputnik V would be established.