Putin in Hanoi after inking N. Korea defence pact

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday as he began a state visit to Hanoi, a day after signing a mutual defense pact with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Putin was welcomed by Vietnamese President To Lam and a military guard at the presidential palace in Hanoi. He will hold talks with Lam and later meet other senior Vietnamese leaders including Nguyen Phu Trong, the powerful general secretary of the ruling Communist Party.