Russia and Vietnam are friends.
While they initially met in the 1920s when some of Vietnam's people went to the USSR to study, they didn't become close until 1950, when they established relations.
The remained allies throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, and Vietnam remained Russia's friend after the USSR collapsed. In modern times, the two are still very close.
(In real life, Russia and Vietnam are close allies, which dates back to 1950, though Vietnamese people appeared in the USSR as early as the 1920s. Russia is perceived very favorably in Vietnam, and the two still cooperate on bilateral levels.)
