Myanmar’s leader visits Vietnam on diplomatic comeback tour

Myanmar's coup leader and now civilian president, Min Aung Hlaing, arrived in Vietnam on Friday to kick off a three-day diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening political and business relations with the one-party state. The visit marked a significant shift for Hlaing, who had been shunned by many countries following the 2021 coup.

Upon landing in Hanoi, Hlaing was greeted with a red carpet welcome, a stark contrast to his previous status as a pariah. The visit included a meeting with Vietnam's President To Lam, participation in a business forum, and a tour of digital and electronic technology industries.

The Myanmar junta's past isolation has softened somewhat, despite their ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya minority. Vietnam remains an investor in Myanmar, with its telecoms operator Mytel jointly owned by a firm backed by Vietnam's defense ministry and a Myanmar military conglomerate. However, activists accuse Vietnam of corporate complicity with the junta, citing revenue, technology, and surveillance support from Vietnam through Mytel.

Min Aung Hlaing's return to diplomatic legitimacy comes after highly contested elections in early 2026, which many observers dismissed as a charade. The vote excluded Aung San Suu Kyi's party and voters in various rebel-held territories while punishing dissent with prison sentences. Despite this, regional neighbors like China, Thailand, India, and Laos have welcomed Hlaing's return, with Thailand's foreign minister dismissing the legitimacy argument as "about reality."