Myanmar’s military-backed president arrived in Vietnam on Friday for high-level talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations within Southeast Asia and drawing international business investment. Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the presidency in April after winning an election critics contend was designed to entrench military control, has accelerated diplomatic outreach to neighboring countries in recent months.
The visit represents the third trip by Min Aung Hlaing to a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as he attempts to rebuild his government’s regional standing. His diplomatic overtures come after years of international isolation triggered by his 2021 military coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government from power. Following that takeover, he faced exclusion from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to meet terms of a regional peace framework adopted in April 2021.
Beyond Southeast Asia, Min Aung Hlaing has pursued engagement with India, China, Laos, Thailand, and more distant nations including Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia, conducting meetings with leaders and participating in investment forums. According to state media, he touched down at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at midday and will spend three days meeting with Vietnamese President To Lam and other officials, including participation in a business forum with his Cabinet members.
Vietnam and Myanmar maintain established military connections involving defense cooperation and Viettel’s participation in Myanmar’s Mytel telecommunications company. Economic relationships have deteriorated significantly, however, with bilateral trade declining from $853 million in 2020 to $335 million during the first half of this year, figures shared when Min Aung Hlaing’s team met with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister in late August.
Western nations have pursued sanctions and diplomatic isolation against Min Aung Hlaing and associates over the 2021 coup and documented human rights violations carried out by military forces. Since the takeover, security forces have conducted violent responses to civilian protests that prompted creation of an armed resistance movement and ongoing civil conflict.
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