Joe Biden visits Hanoi amid Vietnam's plans to purchase Russian weapons by dodging US sanctions

The optics of US President Joe Biden being given a ceremonial welcome outside Vietnam's Presidential Palace are being deemed as signs of the way Washington and Hanoi have come to terms with their troubled history consisting ofWashington's deadliest military interventionin modern history that killed millions.

Thank you for the warm welcome, Vietnam.

I know this will be a historic visit. pic.twitter.com/df2h4uMFuk — President Biden (@POTUS) September 10, 2023

Moreover, Biden's visit has purportedly"solidified" US-Vietnam bilateral ties into a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership", in what the White House described as Vietnam's highest tier of international partnership.

Butbelow the surface of the elevatingUS-Vietnam relationship, Hanoi also hasplans to purchase a significant arsenal of weapons from Russia in defiance of American sanctions, according to an internal Vietnamese government document dated March 2023, New York Times reported.

Vietnam's potential defence ties with Russia: What does the document reveal?

The document from Vietnam's Ministry of Finance reportedly outlines Vietnam's strategy to modernise its military by secretly funding defence acquisitions through transactions within a joint Vietnamese-Russian oil venture in Siberia.

The document, signed by a Vietnamese deputy finance minister, highlights Vietnam's efforts to strengthen strategic trust with Russia, particularly at a time when Russian defence exports have come under Western scrutiny amid its offensive in Ukraine.

Funds for these arms would be transferred within the accounts of a Russian-Vietnamese joint venture called Rusvietpetro, which operates in northern Russia's oil and natural gas sector.

What does it mean?

For Vietnam, the move is reflective of its historical reliance on Russian weaponry and will to dodge theUS sanctions against countries buying Russian arms.

The US sanctions have purportedly disrupted Vietnam's plans to upgrade its military, crucial for countering Chinese expansionists in the South China Sea. Such sanctions, however, have partly pushed Vietnam to forge renewed defence ties with countries such as India. New Delhi and Vietnamhavesigned a Joint Vision Statement on the India-VietnamDefencePartnership towards 2030, "which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation".

Why is it difficult for Vietnam to move away from Russian weapons?

The challenges faced by the Vietnamese in diversifying the supplies for theirdefence needs are not much different from their Indian counterparts.

One of the most practical challenges remains with the control boards that are in Cyrillic for the fighter jets and submarines that New Delhi and Hanoi have imported from Russia and the erstwhile Soviet Union over the decades. A shift from Cyrillic requires both time (in terms of training duration for another system) and money, of course.

Vietnam's ties with the United States and Russia: What's the bottom line?

Vietnam's ties with Russia and the United States underscore the geopolitical tensions in the region elevated by Chinese expansionist practices in the region, with Hanoi's historical allegiances and practical considerations in the context of its improving ties with the United States shaping thedecisions related to its defence needs.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.