BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government is visiting Vietnam for talks with its leaders in his latest effort to normalize relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and attract foreign investment.
Min Aung Hlaing has stepped up diplomatic engagements since he was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was designed to cement the military’s hold on power.
Since taking office, he has traveled to India, China, Laos, Thailand and most recently Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia, where he met with leaders and sought to draw foreign investment through business forums.
Vietnam has maintained longstanding military ties with Myanmar, including defense cooperation and the involvement of Viettel, Vietnam’s military-run telecommunications group, in Mytel, one of Myanmar’s major telecom operators, which has military-linked ownership.
Economic ties, however, have weakened, with bilateral trade falling from $853 million in 2020 to $590 million in 2025 and $335 million in the first half of 2026, figures Min Aung Hlaing shared with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung when they met in Myanmar in late August, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.
State-run MRTV television said Min Aung Hlaing departed on a flight from the capital, Naypyitaw, Friday morning.
In Hanoi, Min Aung Hlaing is expected to meet Vietnamese President To Lam and other senior officials and attend a business forum with members of his Cabinet.
The diplomatic outreach is the latest in a series of moves to reengage with countries in the region and the international community after relations became frayed or frosty following Min Aung Hlaing’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021 while serving as army chief.
Friday’s visit marks Min Aung Hlaing’s third visit to an ASEAN member state as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member bloc, of which Myanmar and Vietnam are members.
He faced years of diplomatic isolation following his 2021 takeover and was barred from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to comply with a peace plan agreed upon in April 2021.
Western governments have shunned and sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing and his associates for overthrowing Suu Kyi’s government. Subsequent serious rights violations followed a deadly military crackdown on protests, which subsequently triggered a nationwide armed resistance movement and a bloody civil war.
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