![FILE PHOTO: A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, Jan 18, 2021 (Reuters)](https://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20211201/c1_2225011.jpg)
MOSCOW: Russia and Vietnam have agreed to expand production of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam, Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, which markets the vaccine internationally, said on Wednesday.
The deal between Russia and Vietnam's state-owned VABIOTECH and Vietnamese investment company Sovico Group, was signed during Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit to Russia this week. It paves the way for expansion of Sputnik V production in Vietnam.
The agreement will also allow VABIOTECH, which had already been producing Sputnik V, to begin manufacturing the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine in Vietnam, RDIF said.