Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing to visit Vietnam, state media reports

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Myanmar's military-appointed president Min Aung Hlaing will visit Vietnam in the near future at the invitation of Vietnamese President To Lam, Myanmar state media reported on September 2. He is scheduled to meet Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly head Tran Thanh Man. The visit follows Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung's trip to Myanmar last week, the first by a Vietnamese foreign minister since the 2021 coup.
Key Facts
- Min Aung Hlaing will meet Vietnamese President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly head Tran Thanh Man during the visit.
- The visit will be Min Aung Hlaing's fourth to an ASEAN member state since taking office in April, following trips to Laos in July and Thailand last month, with an upcoming trip to Cambodia in early September.
- Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung visited Myanmar last week, the first such visit since the 2021 coup, and extended a formal invitation for Min Aung Hlaing to visit Hanoi.
- Min Aung Hlaing has also made state visits to India and China in June, and to Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan last month.
Visit Details
Myanmar state media reported that Min Aung Hlaing will travel to Vietnam "in the near future" at the invitation of President To Lam. During the visit, he will hold discussions on consolidating friendly relations and cooperation across economic, cultural, and other sectors. He will also meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly head Tran Thanh Man, and receive representatives from economic organizations. The announcement has not yet been confirmed by Hanoi.
Diplomatic Context
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung traveled to Myanmar last week, the first visit by a Vietnamese foreign minister since the 2021 coup. During talks in Naypyidaw, Trung and Min Aung Hlaing discussed boosting bilateral trade and investment, as well as mutual support on the international stage. Trung also met Lower House speaker Khin Yi and Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, pledging continued support for Myanmar at the UN, ASEAN, and other international forums. Trung extended a formal invitation for Min Aung Hlaing to visit Hanoi.
ASEAN Relations
Min Aung Hlaing has made normalizing relations with ASEAN a top priority since his inauguration speech in April. Since late 2021, ASEAN has excluded Myanmar from its summits over the country's failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus conflict resolution plan. The Five-Point Consensus calls for a cessation of violence, access to humanitarian aid, and inclusive dialogue involving all parties to the conflict. Min Aung Hlaing's government has dismissed the Five-Point Consensus as unwarranted interference and demanded full readmission to ASEAN.