Putin signed deals in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration, clean energy, and nuclear science and technology during his visit.
Putin's visit can be seen as a geopolitical counterweight to the West as the US increases efforts to counter Chinese influence in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Vietnam on June 20, 2024 to deepen ties amid international isolation over Ukraine invasion.
Vietnam is one of Russia's longest-standing arms customers. No major breakthroughs announced in arms sales during Putin's visit.
Vietnam's non-alignment foreign policy made it a natural choice for Putin due to historical ties with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Vietnam on June 20, 2024, marked a significant diplomatic move as the country sought to deepen ties with Hanoi amid growing international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine. The visit came after Putin's trip to North Korea, where he signed a mutual defense pact with Kim Jong Un.
Vietnam, which values its relations with both the United States and Russia, prioritized talks on trade, education, energy, and science and technology during Putin's visit. The Russian leader kept his formal remarks muted but let loose when he took questions from his press pool before leaving Hanoi.
Here are some key takeaways from Putin's visit to Vietnam:
Diplomatic Show of Unity: Unlike North Korea, which is a pariah in the West, Vietnam has been courted by the United States in its effort to contain China's growing global influence. Hanoi hosted President Biden and China's top leader Xi Jinping within the past year alone. Putin's visit to Vietnam was part of an effort to show that despite Western attempts at isolating him, he is still accepted by world leaders.
Trade and Economic Cooperation: During his visit, Putin signed at least a dozen deals with Vietnamese President To Lam in areas such as education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration, clean energy, and nuclear science and technology. The two countries also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam.
Non-Alignment Foreign Policy: Vietnam's foreign policy of non-alignment made it a natural choice for Putin's visit due to its historical ties with Russia. Hanoi has maintained neutrality on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has allowed it to maintain good relations with both Moscow and the West.
Arms Sales: Vietnam is one of Russia's longest-standing arms customers, and Putin's visit was an opportunity to discuss ongoing arms sales. However, no major breakthroughs were announced during the visit.
Geopolitical Counterweight: With the United States increasing its efforts to counter rising Chinese influence in the region through its Indo-Pacific strategy, Vietnam's partnership with Russia can be seen as a geopolitical counterweight to the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with Vietnamese President To Lam during his state visit to Vietnam.
Vietnam has remained neutral on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Accuracy
Both Russia and Vietnam expressed interest in developing a reliable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region with no room for closed military-political blocs.
Vietnam has licensed Russian state-controlled oil company Zarubezhneft to develop an offshore block of its southeastern coast.
On the South China Sea, both countries agreed to support and ensure security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, and resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law without the use of force.
Putin’s visit resulted in a sharp rebuke from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam which stated that no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and normalize his alleged war crimes.
Deception
(50%)
The article contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author reports on Putin's deals with Vietnam without mentioning the specific details of these deals or their potential implications. Instead, the author focuses on Putin's motivations for making these deals and the potential geopolitical ramifications, which creates an emotionally charged narrative that may influence readers without providing them with all the necessary information. Additionally, some statements in the article are presented in a way that could be perceived as manipulative or biased. For example, when quoting Lam's statement about 'further cooperating in defense and security to cope with non-traditional security challenges,' the author does not provide any context or clarification about what these challenges might be or how they relate to the deals being discussed. This could lead readers to draw their own conclusions based on the emotional tone of the article rather than on factual information.
Both countries deny accusations of weapons transfers, which would violate multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions that Russia previously endorsed.
Putin's recent visits to China and now North Korea and Vietnam are attempts to 'break the international isolation.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam on a visit that rankles the United States.
Vietnam appears to be a natural choice for Putin’s visit due to its foreign policy of non-alignment and close historical ties with Russia.
Putin invited President To Lam to Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next year.
Accuracy
The visit follows a rare meeting between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, where the two agreed on a new strategic partnership driven by Moscow’s need for weapons to support its war in Ukraine.
During his visit, Putin met with Vietnamese leadership including Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and new President To Lam.
Moscow has been a major supplier of weapons to Vietnam since the Soviet era. Arms and energy talks could feature on the agenda during Putin’s visit.
Vietnam may risk disappointing the US and its allies by hosting Putin, but it aims to show that it will not sacrifice its ties with one power just to meet the expectations of others.
Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. Vietnam and Russia are not members of the ICC.
Western hopes of an isolated Russia appear to not be bearing out as Putin ramps up his outreach to friendly countries and efforts to establish a new global order in opposition to the West.
Deception
(50%)
The article contains editorializing and selective reporting. The author states that Putin is looking to boost economic ties with friendly countries and show that Western isolation is not having an impact. This statement implies a judgment on Putin's intentions, which goes beyond the facts presented in the article. Additionally, the author mentions that Vietnam appears to be a natural choice for Putin due to its foreign policy of non-alignment and close historical ties to Moscow. However, the article does not provide any information about why these factors make Vietnam a natural choice or how they contribute to Putin's efforts to show that Western isolation is not having an impact. Furthermore, the author quotes a US Embassy spokesperson criticizing Putin's visit and states that it has rankled the United States. This statement implies that the US is opposed to Putin's visit and suggests that there is some sort of conflict between Russia and the United States over Putin's actions. However, the article does not provide any context or explanation for this conflict or why it is significant. Lastly, while not directly related to deception, it should be noted that the article contains several instances of sensationalism and emotional manipulation.
Vietnam appears to be a natural choice with its foreign policy of non-alignment and close historical ties to Moscow,
no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities,
Putin's two-day visit to Vietnam has rankled the United States,
The Russian leader is looking to boost economic ties with friendly countries and show that Western isolation is not having an impact.
President Vladimir V. Putin's state visit to Vietnam had a different backdrop than his trip to North Korea due to Vietnam's deepening ties with the United States.
Vietnam values its relations with the United States and focusing on boosting ties in areas like trade, education, energy, and science and technology was prioritized over military matters during Putin’s visit.
Accuracy
President Vladimir V. Putin signed at least a dozen deals with Vietnamese President To Lam during his state visit to Vietnam.
Putin kept his formal remarks muted during his visit to Vietnam but let loose when he took questions from his press pool about North Korea.
Vietnam has been courted by the United States in its effort to contain China’s growing global influence and has hosted both President Biden and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping within the past year.
