Vietnam’s Top Leader Gives Red-Carpet Welcome to Myanmar’s Coup Leader

Vietnam gave Myanmar’s coup leader Min Aung Hlaing a red-carpet welcome Saturday, offering a visible show of recognition to a military regime seeking to break its international isolation.

Vietnamese President and Communist Party General Secretary To Lam and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, presided over the official ceremony. Min Aung Hlaing reviewed Vietnam’s military honor guard and introduced senior delegations from both countries before holding bilateral talks with To Lam.

The talks were presented as an effort to “deepen cooperation,” but officials disclosed no details. Vietnam’s state news agency quoted To Lam as saying that Vietnam “highly values the efforts of the Myanmar Government to promote stability, reconciliation, dialogue, economic development, security and the quality of life of its people.”

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deepen cooperation

Min Aung Hlaing led the February 2021 coup that removed Myanmar’s government and detained Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover triggered a deep political, social and economic crisis and intensified armed conflict involving newly formed civilian militias and longstanding guerrilla groups. Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained, according to the military regime.

After five years of military rule, the junta held elections between December and January that faced widespread criticism and excluded opposition parties. A military-aligned party won, and a parliament dominated by the military later appointed Min Aung Hlaing president. The Vietnam trip is his seventh since taking charge of the military government. He has previously received honors in India, China, Laos, Thailand, Russia and Belarus, while Myanmar’s government said it was preparing a visit to Cambodia this month.

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highly values the efforts of the Myanmar Government to promote stability, reconciliation, dialogue, economic development, security and the quality of life of its people.