In 2018, Vietnam's total economic output totaled more than US$240 billion, equivalent to about 1.6 trillion yuan, which is equivalent to the total economic volume of China's Guizhou Province. In 1989, Vietnam's economy was only $6.2 billion. In 30 years, Vietnam's total economic output has grown 40 times, which is a very good achievement. However, as early as the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet Union had aided Vietnam on a large scale, with up to $2 billion a year. So why did the Soviet Union want to aid Vietnam on a large scale, and what benefits could it get?
First, we need to talk about the Cold War, because Soviet aid to Vietnam was part of the Cold War game. After the end of World War II, the contradictions between the Soviet Union and the United States gradually intensified, and the two sides launched a fierce Cold War. In the forties and fifties, due to the serious impact of World War II, the national strength of the Soviet Union suffered great losses, and the Soviet Union was unable to confront the United States in an all-round way, so it avoided direct conflict with the United States. At that time, Vietnam had begun a difficult war against France. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Soviet Union only aided a batch of German-style weapons captured during World War II, and apart from that, did not help Vietnam in any way. At the time, other allies were aiding Vietnam on a massive scale.
In the 1960s, with the restoration of its own national strength, the Soviet Union began to compete with the United States for hegemony around the world, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was just the beginning. At this stage, the United States was already directly involved in the Vietnam War. The Soviet Union believed that war could be used to further deplete the national strength of the United States, while at the same time containing more power of the United States and striving for more advantages for the Soviet Union's game in the European region. Based on this principle, in 1965, the Soviet Union began a large-scale aid to Vietnam, which quickly became Vietnam's first aid country.
Due to the sheer scale of Soviet aid, Vietnam's relations with the Soviet Union heated up rapidly, and Vietnam called the Soviet Union its second home. When the Soviet Union was in fierce conflict with other allies, Vietnam clearly turned to the Soviet Union. In addition to depleting the national strength of the United States, the Soviet Union had a second purpose, that is, to expand the power of its own camp. The countries of Southeast Asia are basically independent countries after World War II. The situation in a considerable number of countries is unstable, with warlords at war. The Soviet Union saw this as a godsend for its own intervention in Southeast Asia, and Vietnam was only the first step, a point of support. In addition to Vietnam, other Southeast Asian countries can also have a similar situation.
In 1975, after Vietnam completed the reunification of the North and the South, the Soviet Union did not stop its assistance to Vietnam, but on the contrary, the scale of assistance became larger and larger. In December 1978, Vietnam sent more than 200,000 troops to occupy two of its western neighbors. Although the Soviet Union did not benefit directly, it was an indirect benefit. Therefore, the Soviet Union agreed with the military action in Vietnam and did not object. The Soviet Union and Vietnam signed the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance between the Soviet Union and Vietnam in 1978. According to the terms of the treaty, if Vietnam was attacked by a third country, the Soviet Union had to come to the full aid. In other words, the Soviet Union provided security for Vietnam.
The Soviet Union also had its own practical needs for assistance to Vietnam, the Soviet Union had a vast territory, but limited access to the sea. The Soviet Union had been seeking support in the Indian Ocean, but the littoral states of the Indian Ocean were largely within the U.S. sphere of influence. In a short period of time, the Soviet Union was unable to directly obtain access to the sea. Therefore, the Soviet Union decided to retreat to the second place, to gain support in Southeast Asia, and then to further invade the Indian Ocean. According to the terms of the treaty, in 1978, the Soviet Union leased the Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh Bay for 25 years. Cam Ranh Bay is a natural harbor capable of berthing 40,000-ton warships.
After the Soviet Union acquired Cam Ranh Bay, the Soviet Pacific Fleet mobilized some of its forces and stationed it in Cam Ranh Bay. For the Soviets, the step was very clever, and the Soviet fleet appeared in Southeast Asia with the ability to blockade the Strait of Malacca. Once a direct conflict broke out between the Soviet Union and the United States, the Soviet Union was able to act quickly. In the confrontation of the seventies and eighties, the Soviet Union was clearly on the offensive, and the United States was directly on the defensive. The United States began to shrink strategically, especially in Southeast Asia, and the United States was unwilling to invest too much energy. As early as 1973, after the United States adjusted its relations with the Soviet Union, it had completely withdrawn its troops from Vietnam.
The Soviet Union's assistance to Vietnam had one last purpose, and that was strategic containment. By 1975, the total strength of the Vietnamese army had reached more than 1.5 million and it had rich combat experience. Relations between the Soviet Union and its former allies had intensified, and the two sides engaged in a military confrontation. But both sides had great powers with millions of troops, and although the Soviet Union deployed more than 1.2 million troops in the Far East in one go, the Soviet Union did not dare to do it directly. Because the war potential of the other side is very large, it is very likely to fall into the quagmire of war if it is launched in a hurry, and in addition, the main energy of the Soviet Union is in Eastern Europe, and it is impossible to concentrate on the Far East.
Relying on more than 1 million troops in the Far East is not enough to go south. Thus, Vietnam's role began to emerge. Vietnam in the south was able to contain some of its forces, which was very advantageous for the Soviet Union. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet Union aided Vietnam with weapons and materiel every year, worth more than $2 billion. Please note that as of 1989, Vietnam's economy totaled only $6.2 billion. The Soviet Union aided more than $2 billion a year, almost half of Vietnam's economy. This shows how big the Soviet Union's aid really was.
In December 1978, after Vietnam occupied its two western neighbors, vietnam fell into a two-front combat situation in just over two months. At that time, in order to engage in a protracted military confrontation, Vietnam had to maintain a million troops. Of course, Vietnam did not have this national strength and basically relied on Soviet aid. Because a large number of young and middle-aged people are serving in the army, there is a serious shortage of civilian labor, which directly affects the lives of ordinary people. However, from the mid-1980s onwards, the Soviet Union, which had its own problems, stopped all aid to Vietnam. After the aid was cut off, Vietnam was suddenly caught in a dilemma. Vietnam began to rapidly change its strategy to improve tensions with neighboring countries (Figure 6 shows our officers and soldiers).
In 1986, Vietnam began to innovate and open up, which is equivalent to Vietnam's version of opening up to the outside world. In 1988, Vietnam decided to disarm 600,000 people, and a large number of young adults returned to work. In the early 1990s, Vietnam entered the stage of economic development, and the smoke of war began to gradually dissipate. Seriously speaking, for ordinary people, there is no need to expand the territory and dominate one side, and the people are eager for family reunion and peaceful life. Since the 1990s, Vietnam's economy has continued to develop, and the living standards of the people have gradually improved.