Russia is a key supplier of military goods to Vietnam, providing it with fighter jets, tanks and ships. Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine, however, has given rise to international sanctions and the United States, European Union and others are threating more unless Russia relents.
Internal Vietnamese documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal that Hanoi and Moscow have prepared for this possibility, establishing a complex system through which Vietnam can conceal its payments to Russia for defense goods by avoiding any open transfers of cash through the global banking system.
