Putin departs Hanoi after bolstering ties with Vietnam

President Putin departed Hanoi on Thursday night following an official visit to the Southeast Asian nation, part of a two-nation trip to Asia seen as show of defiance to the West. Putin’s visit has drawn criticism from the United States and its allies, who treat the Russian leader as a pariah and have protested that he should not be given a stage on which to defend Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on issues including energy, underlining Moscow’s pivot to Asia after the West imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. Read the best of our journalism: Subscribe to The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: Find us on Facebook: Find us on Twitter: Find us on Instagram: #vietnam #putin #russia #hanoi