Russia’s ties with East and Southeast Asia go back decades, and while those connections weakened with the end of the Cold War, they never disappeared. Now, with Russia’s increasing isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, the relationships have taken on greater significance.
In Bear East, RFA examines, country-by-country, how those links have evolved in terms of the defense trade, as well as government, business and people-to-people ties.
RFA’s Luna Pham reports about Russian influence in three Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand, Orthodox Churches are thriving and war-weary Russians are snapping up real estate. In neighboring Laos, former Soviet-bloc Laotian students have mixed memories of life in the USSR. And in Vietnam, Hanoi’s ‘special relationship’ with Moscow lives on but is under strain.
As the number of Russian visitors in Thailand has soared in recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has expanded rapidly. RFA’s Luna Pham speaks with priests about practicing in the mostly Buddhist country.
Thailand: A tourist haven for war-weary Russians
RFA’s Luna Pham travels to Phuket to find out why the Thai resort island has become a popular destination for wealthy Russians, who are driving a recovery of the local real estate market.
RFA’s Luna Pham visits a restaurant in Vientiane where Laotians can rekindle memories of Russia where many studied in their youth when Laos was a major recipient of Soviet aid.
Vietnam: ‘Special relationship’ with Russia under strain
RFA’s Luna Pham visits Hanoi and finds that communist Vietnam’s ‘special relationship’ with Russia lives on – even in memories of a Russian toy once coveted in Vietnam.