Russian president Vladimir Putin could be in Hanoi as soon as next week Reuters has reported. It was speculated he would stop by the country last month after a trip to China but he never did. It’s not clear why but there was some speculation it may have been related to key leadership changes at the upper echelons of Vietnam’s government.

Vietnam has remained cordial with Russia throughout the Ukraine War. The Southeast Asian nation is heavily dependent on Russia for its arms supplies but also has a strong bond with the country on account of their similar political pasts. 

This has seen Russian tourist arrivals grow by 80 percent in the first five months of this year over the first five months of 2023. Two way trade from January to April of this year has also reached US$1.57 billion. Of note, almost half of Vietnam’s imports from Russia this year have been coal–about US$391 million dollars’ worth.

Indeed, Vietnam’s power challenges have benefit Russia which has been looking for new markets for its resources after being shunned by Europe. In this light, this visit from Putin will likely partly be aimed at shoring up support from Vietnam as an important trade partner.