Vietnamese and Russian foreign ministers to meet

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov today during his three-day visit to Moscow regarding bilateral cooperation.

Russia is a longstanding ally of Vietnam. This year, the two celebrate the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 20th of their strategic partnership. The partnership elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021, which includes collaboration on everything from defense to education. Economic ties go both ways: Moscow is Hanoi’s largest provider of weaponry and military technology and Vietnam recently began production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

Son’s Moscow visit signals Hanoi’s intention to strengthen existing alliances as regional tensions rise. The recent US-Australian submarine deal was viewed by some as an effort to counter China’s growing presence in the South China Sea. As Vietnam’s own relationship with its fellow communist neighbor is strained, expect Son and Lavrov to focus especially on increased military cooperation—Vietnam bought six Russian-made submarines in 2017 and future weapons sales are a likely outcome of increased talks.

Still, there are limits to the relationship’s growth militarily. Vietnam’s “four-noes” policy means it avoids outright military alliances. Thus, China is unlikely to feel overly threatened by increased Vietnamese-Russian collaboration.