What’s Behind Vietnam’s ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ Discourse?
Phan Xuan Dung|To Minh Son
Hanoi has been promoting the concept of ‘bamboo diplomacy’ to define its foreign policy of independence and refusal to take sides in international disputes.

Phan Xuan Dung|To Minh Son
Hanoi has been promoting the concept of ‘bamboo diplomacy’ to define its foreign policy of independence and refusal to take sides in international disputes.
Le Hong Hiep
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a successful trip to Washington, which should go some way to advance Hanoi's foreign policy goals and domestic priorities.
Le Hong Hiep
While there are indications that the Vietnamese government is serious about tackling corruption even in the top ranks of its military, obstacles remain in the fight to eradicate graft. This poses questions about Vietnam’s ability to effectively handle future security threats.
Le Hong Hiep
The recent corruption scandal involving Viet A Corp’s inflation of Covid-19 test-kit prices and payment of kickbacks shows that Vietnam’s intensified anti-corruption efforts have quite some way to go.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
The Vietnamese government can rightly be proud of the great strides made in its vaccine rollout, but needs to do better in addressing the economic fallout of the pandemic.
To Minh Son
Vietnam’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by tensions between the central government and the provinces. More cooperation between the regions might help.
Tuan Ho
Vietnam has been wise to switch from a ‘zero Covid’ strategy to one of living with the coronavirus. But it needs a clear plan to maintain business activity as the economy reopens.
Nhu Truong
The process of self-nomination to Vietnam’s legislature is fraught with political peril, which reflects the calibrated rules of the election under the communist regime.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
A key challenge for Vietnam is to control cyberspace without alienating growing numbers of Internet-savvy youths. Unlike China, Vietnam has not been able to muster enough political and technological resources to craft sophisticated campaigns to boost youth nationalism. The gap is even more pronounced online.
Le Hong Hiep
Nguyen Hong Dien’s personal links and his expected support for General Secretary Trong’s agendas may explain his rise to the top of the economic super-ministry.