Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday stressed the importance of his country's strategic partnership with Hanoi as he signed co-operation agreements with Vietnamese leaders.
Putin called Vietnam a "trusted friend and partner" of Russia and said the two countries' relationship has "passed the test of time."
On a state visit following a short trip to North Korea on Wednesday, Putin was greeted by a 21-gun salute in a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace before meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, as well as President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
“We wish to promote defence and security co-operation, respond to non-traditional security challenges on the basis of international law and practice, and contribute to regional and world peace and security," Lam told media after talks with his Russian counterpart.
The two leaders adopted a declaration on deepening the countries' strategic partnership and signed 11 agreements related to education, medicine and energy.
One notable agreement will see Russian company Zarubezhneft co-operate with Hanoi's state-owned PetroVietnam to jointly develop oil and gas in the South China Sea.
Putin also said Russia was ready to establish long-term direct supplies of hydrocarbons, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), to Vietnam.
The Russian leader also invited Lam to participate in commemorations in Moscow next year marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Russia and Vietnam have been allies for decades, with generations of Vietnamese communist leaders being trained in the former Soviet Union. Trong said: "The Vietnamese people, and I myself as someone who lived and studied in Russia, always remember those years."
Having been isolated on the international stage, Putin is seeking to shore up support from Russia's remaining allies. Commentators suggest his brief tour of Vietnam and North Korea is of practical as well as symbolic importance.
"Putin's trip to Vietnam will reinvigorate their comprehensive strategic partnership and shore up economic relations through trade and investment commitments by adopting a rouble-đồng currency exchange mechanism for goods and services payments," said Vietnam expert Carl Thayer, emeritus professor of politics at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
Another item on the agenda was expected to be Russia's war with Ukraine. The Ukrainian ambassador in Hanoi, Oleksandr Haman, told dpa that he does not expect Vietnam to abandon its neutral stance in the conflict.
The United States, which has developed closer ties with Hanoi in recent years despite fresh memories of the Vietnam War, which ended in nearly 40 years ago, protested Putin’s visit. "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 US embassy said.
Vietnam is the only country in the world to have hosted visits by Putin, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the previous year.
