HANOI. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Hanoi this week, a move highlighting Vietnam’s enduring ties with Russia and drawing sharp criticism from the United States. Vietnamese and Russian state media confirmed the visit on Monday.
The visit comes shortly after Vietnam abstained from attending a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, opting instead to send its deputy foreign minister to a BRICS meeting in Russia earlier in the week.
Putin, recently sworn in for his fifth term, is scheduled to meet Vietnam’s new president, To Lam, and other key leaders during his two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday.
The United States, which has strengthened its relations with Hanoi and is Vietnam’s top trading partner, responded strongly to the news. “No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities,” a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi told Reuters. “If he is able to travel freely, it could normalize Russia’s blatant violations of international law,” the spokesperson added, referencing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. However, neither Vietnam, Russia, nor the U.S. are members of the ICC.
The European Union, another significant economic partner for Vietnam, has not yet commented on the visit. However, last month, the EU expressed dissatisfaction over Hanoi’s decision to postpone a meeting with the EU envoy on Russian sanctions, a delay linked to preparations for Putin’s visit.
Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, remarked, “From Hanoi’s perspective, the visit is meant to demonstrate that Vietnam pursues a balanced foreign policy that does not favour any of the major powers,” noting Vietnam’s recent hosting of both Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
Energy, Arms, and Tech Discussions Expected
Putin’s visit marks his first state visit to Vietnam since 2017 and his fifth overall. During the visit, he is expected to announce agreements in trade, investment, technology, and education, according to two officials who spoke to Reuters. However, these plans are subject to change.
More sensitive discussions are anticipated, including talks on arms, energy, and financial transactions. Russia has historically been Vietnam’s top arms supplier, and Russian companies are active in Vietnamese gas and oil fields in the South China Sea, an area also claimed by China. The countries have faced challenges in conducting transactions due to U.S. sanctions on Russian banks, one official noted.
Carl Thayer, a senior expert on Vietnam security at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, suggested that the talks would likely focus on strengthening economic and commercial ties, including arms sales. “Putin and Vietnam’s leaders will likely agree to work out rouble-dong currency transactions via the banking system to enable payment for goods and services,” he added.
As the geopolitical landscape shifts, Vietnam continues to navigate its relationships with major global powers, maintaining a delicate balance amid rising tensions.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
