Myanmar’s military-backed government leader Min Aung Hlaing is visiting Vietnam for talks with its leaders as he seeks to improve relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and attract foreign investment.
Min Aung Hlaing has intensified his diplomatic engagements since being sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was aimed at consolidating the military’s grip on power.
Since taking office, he has visited India, China, Laos and Thailand, and most recently traveled to Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia, where he held talks with leaders and sought to attract 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 with military-linked ownership.
Economic relations, however, have weakened in recent years. Bilateral trade fell from $853 million in 2020 to $590 million in 2025 and reached $335 million in the first half of 2026, according to figures Min Aung Hlaing shared with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung during their meeting in Myanmar in late August, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said.
State-run MRTV television reported that Min Aung Hlaing left the capital, Naypyitaw, on a flight Friday morning.
During his visit to Hanoi, Min Aung Hlaing is expected to meet Vietnamese President To Lam and other senior officials. He is also scheduled to attend a business forum alongside members of his Cabinet.
The visit is the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts to reengage with countries in the region and the international community after Myanmar’s relations with many countries deteriorated following Min Aung Hlaing’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021, when he was serving as army chief.
Friday’s visit is Min Aung Hlaing’s third trip to an ASEAN member state as he seeks to restore Myanmar’s position within the 11-member regional bloc, which includes both Myanmar and Vietnam.
Myanmar faced years of diplomatic isolation following the 2021 military takeover. Min Aung Hlaing was excluded from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to implement a five-point peace plan agreed upon by the bloc in April 2021.
Western governments have shunned and sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing and his associates over the overthrow of Suu Kyi’s government. The takeover was followed by serious rights violations and a deadly military crackdown on protests, which later fueled a nationwide armed resistance movement and a bloody civil war.