In 1960, he joined the first Soviet outer space team and he had been flying three times into space in 1969, 1977 and 1980.

Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko and Phạm Tuân
On his third and final spaceflight, Gorbatko launched with Phạm Tuân, the first Vietnamese citizen and first Asian in space. The 8-day Intercosmos flight marked the 13th crew to visit the Salyut 6 station. Gorbatko and Tuân returned to Earth on the Soyuz 36 spacecraft on July 31, 1980. The flight has become a historic event making a new milestone in the development of the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the former Soviet as well as the Russian today.
He left the cosmonaut team two years after his last space flight on Aug. 28, 1982 to become the deputy president of the committee for sports in the Soviet Ministry of Defense. Later, he taught at the Air Force Engineering Academy and served as general director of AA & AL in Moscow.
He engaged in bilateral friendship activities and he was a close friend of Vietnam. Among the many Soviet and international titles awarded, he was awarded the Vietnam Hero of Labor Medal and the Hồ Chí Minh Medal.
Amemorial service and funeral was held on Friday (May 19) at a cemetery in Mytischi, Moscow.
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