Myanmar’s leader to visit Vietnam this week

Myanmar's junta chief and now President Min Aung Hlaing is planning to visit Vietnam from September 4th to the 6th, as reported by state media outlets in both nations. Hlaing's trip serves as an effort to bolster international legitimacy for his administration, having visited seven countries since taking office earlier this year. The visit is significant as it marks his seventh country stop since assuming the presidency, aimed at strengthening regional re-engagement.

During his stay, Hlaing will engage in bilateral talks with Vietnam's President To Lam, alongside meetings with Vietnam's Prime Minister and National Assembly President. These meetings will be held at Vietnam's Global New Light of Myanmar state media outlet. Additionally, Hlaing will participate in a Myanmar-Vietnam business forum, where he will meet with representatives of various economic organizations.

This trip by Hlaing follows a string of foreign visits by the junta chief, including those to Russia and Thailand in August. The purpose of these visits is to deepen overseas engagement, hoping to secure broader international legitimacy for his administration. Despite Myanmar's push for increased regional ties, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has consistently excluded Myanmar's political representatives from its summits.

This exclusion is due to the failure to implement Asean's peace plan aimed at ending the civil war in Myanmar, which began following the junta's 2021 coup, allowing only non-political participation.