H ANOI: Vietnam and Russia signed an agreement on nuclear energy and several cooperation deals on Tuesday during a visit to Hanoi by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Vietnam aims to restart its nuclear energy programme having suspended it for years, as it needs to boost power generation to feed its growing industrial sector, a driver of its economy.

Communist-run Vietnam maintains close relations with Moscow, Washington and Beijing. Russia has long been its top provider of military equipment, and Russian oil and gas companies operate in Vietnam`s portion of the South China Sea, including in areas also claimed by China.

Rosatom, Russia`s state atomic energy corporation, and Vietnam`s state-owned power utility EVN agreed to boost cooperation in the nuclear sector, according to a joint document listing their signed cooperation agreements. The content of the deal is not public.-Reuters