Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued to strengthen ties with Asian nations after signing a series of deals with Vietnam on Thursday.
During a state visit, Mr Putin and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam signed agreements to further cooperate on education, science, technology, oil and gas exploration and health.
It follows on from Mr Putin's visit to North Korea on Wednesday, where the two nations agreed to provide assistance should either country face "aggression".
Due to sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, Mr Putin is looking to Asia to bolster ties.
Along with this trip to Vietnam and North Korea, Mr Putin also visited China in May.
Following the talks, Mr Putin said the two countries shared an interest in "developing a reliable security architecture" in the Asia-Pacific region.
Vietnam President To Lam said the pair would seek to "further cooperate in defence and security to cope with non-traditional security challenges".
Mr Lam also congratulated Mr Putin on his re-election and praised Russia's "domestic political stability".
Hanoi and Moscow have had diplomatic ties since 1950, and 30 years ago signed a treaty establishing "friendly relations" between Vietnam and Russia.
Mr Putin was welcomed in Hanoi with a 21-gun salute during a military ceremony.
Such a welcome is reserved for the highest heads of state and was also rolled out when US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam last year.
The trip has resulted in a sharp rebuke from the United States Embassy in Vietnam.
Earlier this week the embassy said no country should be giving Mr Putin a platform to promote Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russia was hit with US-led Western sanctions after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A spokesperson for the European Union delegation in Vietnam said while Hanoi had the right to develop its own foreign policy, Russia's war in Ukraine proved Moscow did not respect international law.
Analysts say unlike North Korea, Vietnam is unlikely to supply significant quantities of weapons to Russia, because that would risk damaging Hanoi's relations with the US and Western countries.
AP/Reuters