As he had done on the eve of his North Korea visit two days earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote a feature on the eve of his June 20 visit to Vietnam in Nhân Dân, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, describing his “vision of the history, present-day state and future of the Russian-Vietnamese partnership.” His article began by stating that a monument to Vietnam’s first President, Hồ Chí Minh, “the great son of the Vietnamese people and a good friend of our country,” was inaugurated on June 30, 2023 in St. Petersburg to commemorate the centenary of Ho’s visit to the city. Putin also mentioned how the Soviet Union and its people aided the Vietnamese people against “foreign invaders” during the 20th century, and then helped to rebuild when the wars were over.
“Vietnam is a vibrant and unique ancient civilization adding to the tapestry of a multipolar world,” Putin wrote. “Hanoi pursues an independent foreign policy in the global arena and strongly advocates a just world order based on international law and principles of equality of all states and non-interference in their internal affairs,” he added, writing that they have a “balanced position on the Ukraine crisis.”
