History of the relations between Vietnam and Turkey (from the late 19th century to present)

Abstract

The Republic of Turkey and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam celebrated the 40th anniversary of its diplomatic relations in 2018. In history, due to the geographic distance and differences of many aspects of language, religion and culture, the contact and relations between two nations were very limited. However, the relations between Turkey and Vietnam have achieved some prominent events. For example, on the voyage to Japan of a frigate named Ertuğrul of the Ottoman navy in 1890, it stopped to visit Sai Gon. During the Vietnam War, some of Turkish staffs and  journalists
like H. Oğuz Barut and Sami Kohen came to the South of Vietnam and reported on the war that
was happening in Vietnam. These reports led the Turkish people have the objective and impartial
perceptions of the country and people of Vietnam. After the Vietnam War ended, in 1978 the
Turkish Government established diplomatic relations with the Vietnamese Government. Since that
time, the diplomatic relations between two countries have gained some significant achievements.
This article researches the relations between Turkey and Vietnam from the late of the nineteenthcentury
to the present. Based on some basic references, the Turkish — Vietnamese relations could
be divided into three periods: in the late 19th century, during the Vietnam War and since 1978 to
the present.
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