Hanoi residents on Sunday said they were looking forward to welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin to Vietnam, ahead of the leader’s two-day visit to the Southeast Asian country this week.
In a trip that highlights Communist-ruled Vietnam’s loyalty to Russia, Putin will meet Vietnam’s new president To Lam and other leaders in Hanoi from Wednesday (June 19) to Thursday (June 20).
Some Hanoi residents expressed their admiration for the Russian leader and hoped for even closer ties between the two former allies in the Vietnam War.
Together with Vietnam, Putin is also scheduled to visit North Korea, another long-standing friend of Russia.
The Russian leader has rarely travelled abroad since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and was declared a wanted person by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March last year.