Vietnam’s Prime Minister Got to Hold Justin Trudeau’s Hand and We Are All Jealous

A brief moment during the recent visit of Canadian Prime Minister Canada Justin Trudeau in Hanoi to meet with the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, has sparked a curious conversation topic on social media.

Trudeau made a quick stopover on Wednesday in the nation’s capital a day before the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit which will be held in Da Nang Province. Together, two leaders announced a comprehensive partnership that aims to enhance cooperation between Canada and Vietnam, bolster both economies, and improve their countries’ middle class.

While it was indeed quite a monumental event for the two countries, it was an eerily adorable moment when Trudeau and Nguyễn were spotted holding hands (like most couples do) as they walked down a stairway that captured the attention of many online.

In the widely shared clip of the scene, the Vietnamese Prime Minister can be seen grabbing on to the sturdy arms of the innately charismatic Canadian leader. The slightly awkward stance soon shifted to the simpler yet more intimate holding of each other’ hands.

It did not take long before netizens began poking fun at the two heads of state after a gif image of the scene was posted on Reddit.

“If I was the Prime Minister of Vietnam, I’d feel like the prettiest girl at the ball,” user MIIVCO joked.

Some commenters pointed out, however, that holding hands between men is normal and not awkward in Vietnam and commended the Canadian leader on how he handled it.

“In Vietnam, holding hands between men is a very common, friendly gesture. Great to see Trudeau completely nonplussed unperturbed,” user quangdog explained.

“Okay, but what I really love about this is that if you look closely, the Vietnamese prime minister actually went for the handhold FIRST and seemed to second guess himself, maybe remembering that it wasn’t a norm, thus he turns it to the arm hold. Trudeau noticed this and then HE was like ‘Nah bud its cool’ and turned it into big handhold. Very kind and respectful move,” user thegreatconcerto pointed out.