MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Vietnamese colleague Tran Dai Quang with the 73rd anniversary of the country’s independence, noting the friendly relations between both states.

"The head of the Russian state was pleased to note a friendly, constructive nature of the relations between both states. V.V. [Vladimir Vladimirovich] Putin expressed his confidence in further active development of political dialogue, bilateral cooperation in different spheres, as well as partner cooperation in the resolution of current international issues in the interest of the Russian and Vietnamese people, in the spirit of strengthening stability and safety in the Asia-Pacific region," Putin’s congratulatory message states.

Vietnam proclaimed its independence on September 2, 1945. In the early 1950s, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the USSR.