As Burma wakes up to the news it will assume the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chair in 2014, Gen Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Vietnam on Monday for his first trip as commander-in-chief of defense—conspicuously not choosing to visit China like his predecessors.

And observers believe that Burma's new position at the centre of Asean could signal a departure from its previous close relationship with Beijing in the wake of the Myitsone Dam project suspension.

Although there has been no detailed announcement about the trip from Naypyidaw, military observers have said that the visit was intended to cement military bilateral corporation between the two countries at the invitation of Vietnam’s National Defense Minister Gen Phung Quang Thanh.

Burma’s former Commander-in-Chief Tin Oo, currently one of the leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said that there have not been many instances of military corporation with Vietnam. He added that the two nations merely conducted research together and Burmese commanders made a case study of the separation of North and South Vietnam.

Tin Oo said, “There’s a small difficulty with China since the president declared the suspension of the Myitsone Dam. Although it is just a military delegation, they want to gain some political respect from China by showing military corporation with Vietnam.”

Burma’s newly elected President Thein Sein suspended the Chinese-funded Myitsone Dam project on Sept. 30 in the face of fierce protests from local people and environmental groups.

Tin Oo also speculates that “the United States is trying to engage with both the Burmese government and opposition groups like our NLD. Therefore, the delegation might also ask for suggestions regarding how to deal with the United States.”

Aung Lynn Htut, a former major in Burmese intelligence who defected in 2005 while serving as deputy chief of the Burmese embassy in Washington D.C., said that although Burma and Vietnam are not military allies, there’s a historical relationship between the respective armed forces regarding defense strategy during the American-Vietnam war.

Aung Lynn Htut said, “it is a significant visit because in the past the trip would be made by ministers. It seems that the Burmese Army wants a military alliance in the Southeast Asian region in order to get an alternative against China being the main source of military hardware to Burma.”

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Sino-Burmese military observer, said that the goal of the trip is more likely to be influencing Burma's relationship with China.

“China might be worried when they see that a Burmese commander-in-chief went to Vietnam which has been in conflict with [Beijing] over the maritime dispute [regarding oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea]. Burma also wants to show China that they can deal with any country,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw. “They might also ask to buy some military installations from Vietnam in the future.”