Three months after Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Vietnam — a close ally of Moscow since the Cold War — about 6,000 spectators watched the visitors comfortably win 3-0 on Thursday.
Among the rows of empty seats at the 40,000-capacity My Dinh national stadium was Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Pham Chinh, and a handful of Russian fans.
A giant Vietnamese flag was draped across the stands where spectators would normally sit and the friendly was broadcast live on local television.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the national side were barred from the World Cup in Qatar.
They did not participate in the European Championships held in Germany this summer and are not involved in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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