RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart today, including on natural gas, during a state visit.

The visit followed Mr Putin’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday as Moscow seeks to strengthen ties with Asian nations amid growing isolation from Western countries.

In their meeting today, Mr Putin and Vietnamese President To Lam agreed to co-operate further in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration, clean energy and health.