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Opinion | Vietnam, once isolated, is scoring key diplomatic victories with agility
- The Southeast Asian nation has upgraded relations with the US, Japan and Australia, but Vladimir Putin’s visit shows that Russia is still a priority for Hanoi
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Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, is also among the most diplomatically active countries in the 21st century. For a nation which the West regarded as a run-down pariah state, it is a remarkable achievement to see Western countries actively work towards elevating diplomatic ties and competing to bolster security cooperation with Hanoi.
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Notably, Vietnam recently upgraded relations with key global actors such as the United States and Japan last autumn, as well as Australia earlier this year, further indicating its growing influence on the world stage.
While a lot has been said about how this is a testament to the achievements of Vietnam’s multilateral and neutral foreign policy, it is interesting to see how Russia – arguably the diplomatic pariah of the current decade – remains a crucial partner for Hanoi, despite its expanding web of international relations. In this respect, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Vietnam, his first to the Southeast Asian country since the war in Ukraine broke out, is significant.
Putin’s visit was meant to send a clear message to the West about his intention to offset attempts to isolate Russia. Arguably, the visit did not yield any significant agreements for Hanoi, focusing more on the economy and other aspects of cooperation than on security issues. However, the timing and associated symbolism of the visit, including Putin receiving a 21-gun salute, makes it clear that Russia remains a priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy calculations.
With Russia holding the Brics chairmanship for 2024, Putin’s visit ahead of the October summit, is a strong show of support for Hanoi’s potential membership aspirations, particularly given the expressed interest of other Southeast Asian countries in the grouping’s expansion. Putin visited soon after a Vietnamese delegation went to Russia to attend the Brics Plus dialogue.
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The benefits of Hanoi formally joining Brics are quite clear. Brics membership fits perfectly with Vietnamese President To Lam’s foreign policy matrix of using multilateral diplomatic institutions to advocate for a multipolar world order and strengthen economic ties with growing economies.
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