Hanoi residents praise ‘idol’ Putin, Russia’s ‘world leader’ as he visits Vietnam

Russia and Vietnam share the same Communist ideology and maintain very close relations, with Moscow being the top supplier of weapons to Hanoi

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Nguyen Thi Hong Van, a collector and seller of Russian souvenirs, poses at her shop in Hanoi. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00am, 19 Jun 2024Updated: 8:28am, 19 Jun 2024

Nguyen Thi Hong Van’s Russian souvenir shop may be a bit of an oddity in the Vietnamese capital, but her gifts sell very well, she says, reflecting the enthusiasm Hanoians of all ages have for President Vladimir Putin, who will visit the city this week.

“Vietnamese people love Russian products very much,” she said, surrounded by Matryoshka dolls and caps featuring embroidered CCCP, the Cyrillic abbreviation for the Soviet Union (USSR).

Putin will visit Communist-ruled Vietnam, just over a month after he was sworn in for his fifth presidential term.

“I was very happy when I learned that Mr. Putin is coming to Vietnam because he is very talented, truly a world leader,” said Tran Xuan Cuong, a 57-year-old Hanoi resident, speaking in front of a statue of Lenin in the centre of the Vietnamese capital.

Nguyen Thi Hong Van lived and worked in Russia for 20 years, and collects Russian souvenirs. Photo: Reuters

Nguyen Duy Khanh, a 34-year-old photographer, said: “Mr. Putin is a very talented and powerful president, and he is truly my idol. I really admire Mr. Putin”.

Russia and Vietnam have shared for decades the same Communist ideology and maintain very close relations, with Moscow being the top supplier of weapons to Hanoi. Russian firms also extract oil and gas in Vietnamese fields in the South China Sea that are claimed by China.