Vietnam Reaffirms ‘Strategic Partnership’ With US Day After Putin Visit

The Vietnamese government lauded its seven-month-old “strategic” level ties with the United States just one day after top officials met in Hanoi with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Friday afternoon talks took place mere hours after Putin departed Vietnam following a two-day state visit to shore up ties amid mounting economic and diplomatic isolation over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow is Hanoi’s main arms supplier, and the two have enjoyed close ties for decades, with then-North Vietnam moving closer to the then-Soviet Union to hedge against China and for military assistance against U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. Local media…