MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Russia transferred the research vessel Professor Gagarinsky to Vietnam last year for gratuitous use, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

The Russian head of state and Vietnamese leader To Lam attended the opening of a laboratory dedicated to the study and prevention of infectious diseases at the joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center.

"I would also like to recall that last year, Russia transferred the research vessel Professor Gagarinsky to our Vietnamese friends for their use, free of charge," Putin said.

According to the Russian president, the fully equipped floating research station is operated by specialists from the Tropical Center to study marine biodiversity and conduct hydrographic and biophysical research.

The Professor Gagarinsky was handed over to the Tropical Center in Vladivostok before sailing to the Vietnamese port of Hai Phong, where it is being used for joint marine research.