BACU STREET AND THE STORY OF VIETNAM–AZERBAIJAN FRIENDSHIP

Vung Tau is one of Vietnam’s best-known coastal cities, renowned for its mild climate, scenic mountains, and beautiful coastline. Visitors to the city often travel along Bacu Street, formerly known as Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, one of the main routes leading toward Front Beach.

Many people wonder why such a central street bears a name with a distinctly foreign sound. The name reflects an interesting story of diplomacy, cooperation, and friendship between Vietnam and Azerbaijan, a country located in Western Asia.

During the 1960s, Vietnam invited Soviet oil and gas specialists to conduct surveys and support the development of offshore petroleum exploration. In 1966, the first eight Vietnamese students were sent to study at the Institute of Chemistry and Oil in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Approximately two decades later, Vung Tau emerged as the center of Vietnam’s oil and gas industry, playing a role similar to that of Baku in Azerbaijan.

To strengthen the friendship between the two countries and acknowledge the support provided by Azerbaijani specialists during the early development of Vietnam’s petroleum industry, Vung Tau renamed Nguyen Thai Hoc Street as Bacu Street. In return, the city of Baku named one of its streets Vung Tau.