Russia's Putin in Vietnam seeks new 'security architecture'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to build a "reliable security architecture" in the Asia-Pacific region during a state visit to Vietnam on Thursday, part of a two-nation trip to Asia seen as show of defiance to the West.

A day after signing a mutual defence agreement with North Korea, Putin received a 21-gun salute at a military ceremony in Vietnam, was embraced by two of its Communist leaders and lavishly praised by one of them.

Putin's visit has drawn criticism from the United States and its allies, who treat the Russian leader as a pariah and have protested that he should not be given a stage on which to defend Russia's war in Ukraine.

Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on issues including energy, underlining Moscow's pivot to Asia after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.

"We are firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, which remains among the priorities of Russia's foreign policy," Putin was quoted as saying by Russian media.

"We are ready to continue active joint work on a wide range of topics, including economic, scientific and technical ties, defence, security and humanitarian contacts."

He was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying the two countries shared an interest in "developing a reliable security architecture" in the region based on not using force and peacefully settling disputes with no room for "closed military-political blocs".

The 11 pacts signed in Hanoi were not on the same level as the landmark agreement reached in North Korea.

But Putin's warm welcome was an achievement for the Russian leader, who has an outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, charges he denies.

Russia and Vietnam are not members of the ICC.

"Putin's triumphal reception in Hanoi will mark a counter-point to Russia's recent setbacks," said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy, listing the recent Ukraine conference in Switzerland and new European Union sanctions on Russia.

"Putin and the Russian propaganda machine will play on the theme that Western attempts to isolate Russia are not working," Thayer added.

'Bamboo diplomacy'

The military ceremony put on to greet Putin, who was embraced by both Vietnamese President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, was the kind reserved for the highest heads of state and rolled out when US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam last year.

The Vietnamese president congratulated Putin on his recent re-election and praised Russia's achievements, including "domestic political stability", as the two met in Hanoi.

"Once again, congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming support during the recent presidential election, underlining the confidence of the Russian people," Lam said

The two presidents witnessed the exchange of 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding, including deals on oil and gas, nuclear science and education.

"From the Vietnamese perspective, Hanoi is practicing its 'bamboo diplomacy', in which it tries to maintain good relationships with both Moscow and Washington despite their mutual hostility," said Alexander Vuving, of the Hawaii-based Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

Putin, who arrived in the early hours on Thursday, is on the final stop of a two-nation tour of Asia after concluding the defence pact with North Korea. Putin has also visited China since he was sworn in for a fifth term in May.

US, EU criticism

Vietnam's hosting of Putin was criticised by the United States, an important partner which upgraded diplomatic relations with Hanoi last year and is Vietnam's top export market, and by the EU.

A US embassy statement this week said no country should be giving Putin a platform to promote Russia's war in Ukraine.

An EU delegation spokesperson in Vietnam said Hanoi had the right to develop its own foreign policy but said Russia's war in Ukraine proved Moscow did not respect international law.

Russia was hit with US-led Western sanctions after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Despite concern over the visit in the US and its allies, Hanoi may have correctly calculated it will not suffer material consequences, said Murray Hiebert, a senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington's the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

One reason, he said, is that Washington heavily relies on its good relations with Vietnam to counter its rivalry with China in the region.

"I don't think it'll have a long-term impact... the US often gives them a bit of a pass," Hiebert said.