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HANOI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to meet Vietnamese senior officials on Sunday as he visits Hanoi amid prolonged talks over Washington's potential supply of military equipment to its former foe, including transport planes and helicopters. Hegseth is expected to arrive in the Vietnamese capital early on Sunday afternoon after a series of meetings in Malaysia with his Asian counterparts, according to a Vietnamese official briefed on the trip. Hegseth was expected to meet Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam, President Luong Cuong and Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, the official said. Sign up here. The three sources declined to be named as the information was not public. They all said it was not clear whether any deal or announcement would be made on Sunday. Boeing deferred questions on the matter to the Vietnamese and U.S. governments. Vietnam's government, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin did not respond to requests for comment outside business hours. PLANES, HELICOPTERS UNDER DISCUSSION The Southeast Asian country, which relies heavily on Russian weapons, has been looking for years to diversify its arsenal. Talks with the United States, which lifted an arms embargo in 2016, gained momentum during the Biden administration but have not yet yielded any formal announcement. Reuters reported last year on discussions for the sale of C-130 planes to Vietnam's defence ministry, and in July on a preliminary deal on two S-92 helicopters after years of talks on the matter with Vietnam's public security forces. The possible purchase of two or three Chinook helicopters by Vietnam's police was also under discussion, said one of the sources briefed on the matter. In December, a newspaper controlled by the police said a new airport under development near Hanoi would be suitable for Chinook CH-47D helicopters and other models. The Chinook was the only aircraft mentioned in the report that is not currently in use by Vietnamese forces. Reporting by Francesco Guarascio and Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Francesco leads a team of reporters in Vietnam that covers top financial and political news in the fast-growing southeast Asian country with a focus on supply chains and manufacturing investments in several sectors, including electronics, semiconductors, automotive and renewables. Before Hanoi, Francesco worked in Brussels on EU affairs. He was also part of Reuters core global team that covered the COVID-19 pandemic and participated in investigations into money laundering and corruption in Europe. He is an eager traveler, always keen to put on a backpack to explore new places.
