Important motivation of the region
The development of Vietnam from a country that was destroyed by a war into a nation with a medium -sized position today is noticeable. 1975 marked the end of many decades of war that Vietnam suffered. Since then, after the innovation reforms in the late 1980s, Vietnam has quickly grown economic and social progress. Today, Vietnam represents one of the best influential factors in Southeast Asia and is an important knot in the global value chain of the world.
At the political level, Vietnam has escaped the isolation situation that it has suffered from the late 1970s to the early 1990s and integrated into the institutions, regional and global agreements. The fact that Vietnam becomes a member and plays a positive role in ASEAN is a testament to that step, as well as Vietnam’s participation in multilateral economic institutions: WTO, APEC and CPTPP. Moreover, at the bilateral level, over the past few years, Vietnam has been promoting relations through the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership with the US, Japan, Australia, France and Malaysia.
At the international political level, Vietnam has cleverly navigated a complex relationship between the US and China. While maintaining a deep economic relationship with both the United States and China, Vietnam did not depend on any side. Such balance helps Vietnam ensure economic benefits, while maintaining a good relationship with both powers.
The strategic location in Southeast Asia creates the default Vietnam to become an important factor between challenges in the region. In addition, significant economic growth and military modernization help Vietnam in the right direction to be able to become a more meaningful factor in the dynamics of the region in the coming years.
The future role of Vietnam will also depend on many internal and external factors, including domestic political stability, economic performance, regional and global context. Therefore, Vietnam needs to continue to coordinate carefully to adapt to the global environment that is changing rapidly and complicated.
Expert Fabio filiaconi (Research on political science at Free University Brussel – Vub, Belgium)
