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The Asia Chessboard

Vietnam’s Great Power Hedge

Oct 31, 2023
Huong Le Thu, Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the International Crisis Group, discusses Vietnam's strategic thinking and its leverage of competition between China and the US. They explore Vietnam's decision to upgrade its relationship with the US and Chinese inroads in South and Southeast Asia. Vietnam is adopting an omnidirectional foreign policy to improve resilience, while envisioning an evolving role for ASEAN.
41:45

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Vietnam practices an omnidirectional diplomacy, seeking to improve its resilience by strengthening relations with multiple partners.
  • Vietnam recognizes the challenges and opportunities presented by great power competition and aims to capitalize on the US-China rivalry.

Deep dives

Vietnam's Foreign Policy Approach

Vietnam's foreign policy approach is shaped by its historical experience and geopolitical position. It practices an omnidirectional diplomacy, seeking to be friends with everyone. Vietnam recognizes the challenges presented by great power competition and acknowledges both the challenges and opportunities. While it remains cautious and apprehensive of China, Vietnam also recognizes the importance of its relationship with the United States. The country's leaders aim to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the rivalry between the US and China.

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