Talk Synopsis
As a much larger and more powerful neighbor, China has loomed large in Vietnam’s strategic thinking. This influence is evident in the core objectives, components, and principles of Hanoi’s grand strategy. Vietnam’s primary foreign policy goals are maintaining peace, fostering national development, and safeguarding sovereignty. To achieve these aims, Vietnam has implemented a de facto grand strategy (though never officially acknowledged) comprising diplomatic activity, foreign economic policy, defense policy, and resource extraction. The strategy is underpinned by principles of independence, self-reliance, openness, multilateralization, and diversification. This talk will explore how the China factor influences each of these elements. In doing so, we will gain insights into Vietnam’s nuanced approach to managing its relationship with China while pursuing its national interests in a complex regional environment.
Speaker’s Profile
Dr. Bich Tran (pronounced as Bic Trahn) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a fellow at the 2024 International Strategy Forum. Her research interests include Vietnam’s grand strategy, Southeast Asian states’ relations with major powers, and issues at the intersection between geopolitics and technology. Dr. Tran is the author of “Vietnam’s Strategic Adjustments and US Policy” (Survival 64, no. 6, 77–90). A full list of her publications is available on Google Scholar. Follow her on X @BicTranVn.