Michael - excellent balanced piece. Keep up the good work. In looking at your exchange with Mr Maclean and subsequently his Substack likes history I would observe that he’s not exactly a disinterested party with his views seemingly skewed towards anything anti Ukraine and pro Putin. I expect the same from Mr Dors who at least states his allegiances up front.
Unfortunately for some there's a challenge in differentiating between propaganda and journalism as is evidenced by their posts.
The title of this post is: "Hanoi Hosts an ISOLATED Putin."
Meanwhile, beyond this post, and out in the world:
Delegates from 136 countries attended the 2024 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)[1]. The largest delegations came from:
- China – 192 participants
- UAE – 105 participants
- Zimbabwe – 86 participants
- Kazakhstan – 84 participants
- India – 80 participants
- Oman – 75 participants[2]
In total, 21,800 people from 139 countries and territories took part in the 2024 SPIEF events[2]. This was a record number of participants, exceeding attendance figures from recent years despite Western sanctions on Russia[3].
A significant number of countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS (The "R" in BRICS stands for Russia) or have formally applied for membership in 2024:
- In January 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates officially joined BRICS, expanding the group to 9 members. Saudi Arabia was also invited to join in 2024 but its membership was delayed.[1][5]
- As of March 2021, 36 countries have formally applied to join the BRICS alliance in 2024, as confirmed by South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. However, the specific countries were not named.[3]
- In addition to the 36 formal applicants, 7 more countries have expressed their intention to join BRICS before the next summit in October 2024: Cameroon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.[4]
- Thailand officially submitted its application to join BRICS in May 2024, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to do so.[7]
- A total of 15 countries have formally applied to join BRICS as of 2024, according to a table in one of the search results, but the full list is not provided.[1]
So in summary, beyond the 4 new members that joined in January 2024, at least 43 additional countries have either formally applied or expressed strong interest in joining BRICS in 2024 alone. This includes the 36 formal applicants cited by South Africa, and the 7 countries that stated their intention to apply before the October 2024 summit. The total number of interested countries could be even higher based on the mention of 15 formal applicants in 2024.
Malaysia has expressed strong interest in joining the BRICS group and is preparing to start the formal membership process soon:
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated in an interview that Malaysia has made a clear policy decision to join BRICS and will begin the formal process after receiving feedback from South Africa, the current BRICS chair[3].
- Anwar said Malaysia fully supports the Global South and BRICS expansion, and criticized the dominance of the U.S. dollar in international trade which can negatively impact currencies like Malaysia's despite strong economic fundamentals[3].
- Seeking BRICS membership is seen as the right move for Malaysia as the global landscape changes. Malaysia's entry would be significant as it will hold the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025[1].
- Analysts say BRICS' appeal for countries like Malaysia is the potential for cooperation on investment, trade and infrastructure financing, especially with China and India which are seen as important markets[2].
Brics is DOA. If you are calling bartering system between Brics countries, you are a fool. Ask anyone in the world to trade in RMB or the rubbles, they will laugh at you
Hi Mac, thanks for the comment. If this came off as scornful of Russia's past support for Vietnam, that wasn't my intention. But the current Russian government, and especially Putin, doesn't deserve a pass on criticism thanks to this support, most of which occurred long before he took control of Russia. (That's my perspective as an American, if it's important.) Meanwhile I'm certainly not giving the U.S. a pass for its murderous war here, though I don't think it needs to be referenced at every opportunity.
It’s funny to see the trolls bot are starting to notice your substack. You don’t have to response. The fact is this group of people will aim at anything criticize Putin as misinformation shows how much misinformation they are willing to create. I find your post balance with information and have no bias and it’s a testament to true journalism.
And to Mac, stop trolling man. We, vietnamese has moved on. We care about economy and integration in global stage than looking at the war. We did not lose, we won, and this is how we choose to build our country, without hate, so fuck off.
When one thinks of America and Vietnam… the first thought remains to be WAR!
When most folk think of RUSSIAN (Putin) and Vietnam the main thought remains friendship.
WAR V FREINDSHIP.
That’s the topic so I for one will not give Americans a pass here!
Your article does come across as NGO sponsored American propaganda actually. If it quacks like a duck…
Bearing in mind where you are and what you are reporting on I think you should tone down the political bias or permanently lose the interest of readers.
It is often said that it's foolish to enter a dispute between two strangers, but let me do chime in simply with my perception.
As a guy from SE Europe who started following this Vietnam newsletter for free about a month ago, and whose feelings are strongly in favour of Russia and China: This article felt like a cold shower, and it was something of a bitter pill. But that's *welcome*. Cold showers are generally good for health. Bitter pills can be necessary.
Washington and the West are angry at facts, and also angry about other people having different perceptions than theirs.
Our attitude is to do everything to avoid that path.
If there is something this reader would desire from your Vietnam newsletter is NOT thoughts on morality and honor, but simply gradual development of technical skills as a reporter, to be able to express increasingly more nuances in your writing. And that's something that can come only through years of practice. It cannot be provided like fast food.
Mac Maclean, hopefully you won't take this as an offence, as none was meant. Cheers.
If your referencing the Vietnam war? Clearly everyone has moved on, while memory serves us well, that care about a balance in reportage. The offending article here remains full of a convenient American political view of the world.
Only those that perhaps still believe in Santa Claus maintain such false narratives today.
Michael - excellent balanced piece. Keep up the good work. In looking at your exchange with Mr Maclean and subsequently his Substack likes history I would observe that he’s not exactly a disinterested party with his views seemingly skewed towards anything anti Ukraine and pro Putin. I expect the same from Mr Dors who at least states his allegiances up front.
Unfortunately for some there's a challenge in differentiating between propaganda and journalism as is evidenced by their posts.
I have VPBank and (until a few days ago) VIB accounts and haven't heard anything about this from either of them.
The title of this post is: "Hanoi Hosts an ISOLATED Putin."
Meanwhile, beyond this post, and out in the world:
Delegates from 136 countries attended the 2024 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)[1]. The largest delegations came from:
- China – 192 participants
- UAE – 105 participants
- Zimbabwe – 86 participants
- Kazakhstan – 84 participants
- India – 80 participants
- Oman – 75 participants[2]
In total, 21,800 people from 139 countries and territories took part in the 2024 SPIEF events[2]. This was a record number of participants, exceeding attendance figures from recent years despite Western sanctions on Russia[3].
Citations:
[1] https://www.rt.com/business/598766-spief-russia-economic-forum-participants/
[2] https://forumspb.com/en/news/news/itogi-raboty-pmef-2024/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg_International_Economic_Forum
Additionally:
A significant number of countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS (The "R" in BRICS stands for Russia) or have formally applied for membership in 2024:
- In January 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates officially joined BRICS, expanding the group to 9 members. Saudi Arabia was also invited to join in 2024 but its membership was delayed.[1][5]
- As of March 2021, 36 countries have formally applied to join the BRICS alliance in 2024, as confirmed by South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. However, the specific countries were not named.[3]
- In addition to the 36 formal applicants, 7 more countries have expressed their intention to join BRICS before the next summit in October 2024: Cameroon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.[4]
- Thailand officially submitted its application to join BRICS in May 2024, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to do so.[7]
- A total of 15 countries have formally applied to join BRICS as of 2024, according to a table in one of the search results, but the full list is not provided.[1]
So in summary, beyond the 4 new members that joined in January 2024, at least 43 additional countries have either formally applied or expressed strong interest in joining BRICS in 2024 alone. This includes the 36 formal applicants cited by South Africa, and the 7 countries that stated their intention to apply before the October 2024 summit. The total number of interested countries could be even higher based on the mention of 15 formal applicants in 2024.
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS
[3] https://watcher.guru/news/36-countries-apply-to-join-brics-alliance-in-2024
[4] https://www.cointribune.com/en/brics-expanding-7-nations-eye-membership-in-2024/
[5] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66525474
[7] https://www.orfonline.org/research/thailand-s-pursuit-of-brics-membership
And to top this all off:
Malaysia has expressed strong interest in joining the BRICS group and is preparing to start the formal membership process soon:
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated in an interview that Malaysia has made a clear policy decision to join BRICS and will begin the formal process after receiving feedback from South Africa, the current BRICS chair[3].
- Anwar said Malaysia fully supports the Global South and BRICS expansion, and criticized the dominance of the U.S. dollar in international trade which can negatively impact currencies like Malaysia's despite strong economic fundamentals[3].
- Seeking BRICS membership is seen as the right move for Malaysia as the global landscape changes. Malaysia's entry would be significant as it will hold the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025[1].
- Analysts say BRICS' appeal for countries like Malaysia is the potential for cooperation on investment, trade and infrastructure financing, especially with China and India which are seen as important markets[2].
Citations:
[1] https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/comment/2024/06/23/joining-brics-right-thing-for-malaysia-to-do
[2] https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/brics-malaysia-thailand-indonesia-bloc-asean-4426441
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/6/18/malaysias-anwar-flags-brics-membership-praises-xi-as-outstanding-leader
Brics is DOA. If you are calling bartering system between Brics countries, you are a fool. Ask anyone in the world to trade in RMB or the rubbles, they will laugh at you
Did not realise this was an American Political platform!
If memory serves us, neurotoxins napalm and 3m (?) murders was americas historic past in Vietnam.
Russia and Vietnam have a long historical friendship that is to be admired, and not scorned as your article attempts.
Hi Mac, thanks for the comment. If this came off as scornful of Russia's past support for Vietnam, that wasn't my intention. But the current Russian government, and especially Putin, doesn't deserve a pass on criticism thanks to this support, most of which occurred long before he took control of Russia. (That's my perspective as an American, if it's important.) Meanwhile I'm certainly not giving the U.S. a pass for its murderous war here, though I don't think it needs to be referenced at every opportunity.
On that topic, you may be interested in the podcast I posted last month that discusses the deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance left by America's bombing campaigns. https://vietnamweekly.substack.com/p/25-years-of-clearing-uxo-in-central
It’s funny to see the trolls bot are starting to notice your substack. You don’t have to response. The fact is this group of people will aim at anything criticize Putin as misinformation shows how much misinformation they are willing to create. I find your post balance with information and have no bias and it’s a testament to true journalism.
And to Mac, stop trolling man. We, vietnamese has moved on. We care about economy and integration in global stage than looking at the war. We did not lose, we won, and this is how we choose to build our country, without hate, so fuck off.
When one thinks of America and Vietnam… the first thought remains to be WAR!
When most folk think of RUSSIAN (Putin) and Vietnam the main thought remains friendship.
WAR V FREINDSHIP.
That’s the topic so I for one will not give Americans a pass here!
Your article does come across as NGO sponsored American propaganda actually. If it quacks like a duck…
Bearing in mind where you are and what you are reporting on I think you should tone down the political bias or permanently lose the interest of readers.
It is often said that it's foolish to enter a dispute between two strangers, but let me do chime in simply with my perception.
As a guy from SE Europe who started following this Vietnam newsletter for free about a month ago, and whose feelings are strongly in favour of Russia and China: This article felt like a cold shower, and it was something of a bitter pill. But that's *welcome*. Cold showers are generally good for health. Bitter pills can be necessary.
Washington and the West are angry at facts, and also angry about other people having different perceptions than theirs.
Our attitude is to do everything to avoid that path.
If there is something this reader would desire from your Vietnam newsletter is NOT thoughts on morality and honor, but simply gradual development of technical skills as a reporter, to be able to express increasingly more nuances in your writing. And that's something that can come only through years of practice. It cannot be provided like fast food.
Mac Maclean, hopefully you won't take this as an offence, as none was meant. Cheers.
I agree, newsletter aims at information. Propaganda aims at misinformation.
The Vietnamese have moved on, and Apple, Intel, and others are there now. You should too Mac, instead of trolling.
If your referencing the Vietnam war? Clearly everyone has moved on, while memory serves us well, that care about a balance in reportage. The offending article here remains full of a convenient American political view of the world.
Only those that perhaps still believe in Santa Claus maintain such false narratives today.