RIA Novosti quoted Russia energy giant Gazprom said Vietnamese oil and gas group PetroVietnam may take part in the Eastern Gas Program.

Gazprom said "The companies have positively assessed the joint work of both Gazprom and Petrovietnam on exploration of the continental shelf of Vietnam and also noted that there are good prospects for cooperation between the companies on oil and gas projects in Russia, as well as other countries."

Eastern Gas, a Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok transportation system, is being built to ensure gas supplies and production in Russia Far East. The program may also include gas exports to China and other countries in the region.

Gazprom and PetroVietnam have nearly a dozen joint projects in the Gulf of Vietnam and have created a joint operating company, Vetgazprom which conducts exploration on the Vietnamese continental shelf.