“Russian President Putin’s Visit to Hanoi: Vietnam’s ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ In Action” by Ian Storey

ISEAS Perspective 2024/56, 22 July 2024

President Vladimir Putin visited Vietnam on 20 June 2024 in a bid to show that Western efforts to isolate Russia have been unsuccessful.
The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) welcomed Putin’s visit as it provided further validation of its ‘bamboo diplomacy’ whereby Hanoi strives to keep its relations with all the major powers in balance.
Putin’s visit did not undermine Vietnam’s relations with the United States as Hanoi did not offer any support for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Vietnam and Russia did not discuss defence cooperation. This suggests Vietnam has no immediate plans to resume Russian arms purchases.
Vietnam and Russia agreed on various measures to strengthen economic engagement. But Russia is destined to remain a minor player in Vietnam’s economy.
The prospects for cooperation between Vietnamese and Russian energy companies are brighter, especially in Vietnam’s offshore oil industry and meeting the country’s demand for natural gas. Whether Vietnam agrees to partner with Russia to develop a civilian nuclear energy industry is much less certain.

* Ian Storey is Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak and co-editor of Contemporary Southeast Asia.

The article was published by ISEAS.

IRSEA and ISEAS have agreed to enter into a relationship of cooperation.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA.