Hanoi - President Vladimir Putin of Russia arrived in communist Vietnam yesterday for a historic visit aimed at rebuilding economic and security ties neglected for a decade since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Mr Putin arrived in Hanoi from Seoul as the first Kremlin chief to visit a country that was one of Moscow's closest Cold War allies and once a key extension of Soviet power in Asia. He was greeted at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport by Vietnamese officials including the Foreign Minister, Mr Nguyen Dy Nien, and the Planning and Investment Minister, Mr Tran Xuan Gia.