2 Sep 2024
A pilgrimage to China for Vietnam’s new leader
Talk of divergent strategic views between the neighbours would be a misreading of history.
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10 Jul 2024
Vietnam’s recent challenges shouldn’t deter savvy investors
Hanoi isn’t moving closer to Beijing, and that’s good news for foreign companies de-risking their China manufacturing. -
8 Jul 2024
Political upheaval in Vietnam is holding its economy back
Officials have become extremely cautious about signing off on public investment decisions – and foreign investors are taking note. -
5 Jul 2024
Putin’s diplomacy roadshow in North Korea and Vietnam
Despite Moscow’s charm offensive, regional states are keeping their options open, and China remains the partner of choice. -
29 May 2024
Water woes: Cambodia and Vietnam clash over the Funan Techo Canal
Environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns are all bound up in the latest tensions along the Mekong River. -
14 May 2024
Dams, salt, and the sad fate of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Freshwater depletion and salinisation have become critical issues, while nationalism impedes cooperation. -
26 Mar 2024
From silence to remembrance: Vietnam’s shifting approach to China
The delicate balancing of honouring fallen soldiers while navigating a strategically important yet tense relationship with a powerful neighbour. -
22 Mar 2024
Australia-Vietnam: Middle powers alike
The new comprehensive strategic partnership signals a broader network of friends – with benefits for both sides. -
14 Mar 2024
Australia-Vietnam: A partnership made in China?
Strategic partnerships can begin with certain goals but come to serve totally different purposes. -
22 Feb 2024
Can Vietnam and Cambodia build a lasting peace?
Haunted by history, the two nations must go beyond official narratives for true reconciliation. -
6 Feb 2024
Southeast Asian maritime security: Australia can help
Australia should support Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei in developing their maritime governance capacity to enhance their resilience against threats. -
6 Feb 2024
One year into the Indonesia and Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnerships
It’s a long and winding road – but the destination is crucial. -
1 Feb 2024
Vietnam’s ports prosper as supply chains fracture
The country was seen as a winner in the US-China trade war. But the gains are quite extraordinary. -
15 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s pivot
In navigating the US-China power play in Southeast Asia, Vietnam seem to have the right moves. -
2 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s challenge to wean off coal
Fossil fuels have driven rapid growth but the country has pledged – with global help – to be carbon neutral by 2050. -
12 Sep 2023
Amid great power visits, don’t underestimate middle power cooperation
With Vietnam supercharging its relationship with the United States, Australia may be next. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
17 Jul 2023
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning. -
29 Jun 2023
Better late than never: Vietnam releases 2021–30 power plan
Just don’t expect coal to be out of the energy mix quite yet. -
27 Jun 2023
China’s double wedge against efforts to foster Vietnam-US relations
Just as Beijing seeks to coerce Hanoi in the South China Sea, it warns about Washington’s intentions closer to home. -
26 May 2023
India’s underperforming ties to Vietnam
India’s weak cultural imprint fragments into insignificance faced with China’s. -
27 Feb 2023
What recent changes at the top mean for Vietnam
Don’t expect major shifts in economic or foreign policy. The key challenge is a nest of structural obstacles at home. -
9 Feb 2023
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking. -
2 Feb 2023
Economic diplomacy: Diversification is hard to do
Treasurer Jim Chalmers should rise above outdated jibes at the IMF to justify his aims for a new values-based economy. -
27 Jul 2022
What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing
After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward. -
9 Jun 2022
Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. -
16 May 2022
Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong
The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission. -
26 Apr 2022
Vietnam’s “Four No’s” of defence policy are being tested
The war in Ukraine has forced Hanoi into a delicate dance between Russia and the United States. -
15 Apr 2022
Taming troubled waters
Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea. -
12 Apr 2022
How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality
Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed. -
12 Apr 2022
China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction
How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture. -
25 Mar 2022
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea
Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions. -
7 Mar 2022
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine
Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia. -
22 Nov 2021
Vietnam: “Let them eat steak”
A minister’s extravagant meal abroad left a sour taste at home. -
2 Nov 2021
Arms control is not just about arms
Getting US-Russia arms control talks on track can weaken the Russia-China partnership and strengthen US-Vietnam ties. -
13 Oct 2021
Vietnam had seemingly conquered Covid. Then Delta spread
The Southeast Asian nation is slowly emerging from months of lockdown but has plenty of challenges yet. -
2 Aug 2021
Russia and Vietnam: An alliance of convenience
Moscow’s interests in Hanoi’s arms and oil make for a tricky strategic juggling act with Beijing. -
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9 Apr 2021
Obstacles and opportunities in Vietnam-Australia ties
The two countries see the region from different vantage points. But the prospects for cooperation are growing. -
24 Feb 2021
The ups and downs of the Vietnam–North Korea relationship
Hanoi and Pyongyang have had their share of differences, but they also have a long historical connection. -
22 Sep 2020
The South China Sea map that wasn’t
A mistake? Maybe. But a US map of Vietnam including the Paracel and Spratly islands raises big questions. -
11 Aug 2020
Chinese dams and the Mekong drought
The environmental impact of China’s dam building upstream is undeniable. The silence from some quarters is surprising. -
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3 Jul 2020
Southeast Asian democracies in declining health amid Covid-19
An illiberal turn across the region has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Australia should take note. -
18 May 2020
Why Vietnam embraces multilateralism at this uncertain time
Communities might be locked in isolation for Covid-19, but Hanoi has faith in the way the world can work together. -
12 May 2020
Vietnam defies the odds on Covid-19
Quick action by the government has helped prevent widespread infection – and turned the tide of public distrust. -
27 Apr 2020
Troubled waters: China’s sovereign ambition in the shadows of Covid-19
While the US is busy containing the coronavirus, Beijing stakes its claims in the South China Sea. -
10 Apr 2020
Vietnam, North Korea, politics and Covid-19: The numbers tell a story
The two Communist nations boast low or even zero cases of the virus. What message does this send? -
10 Mar 2020
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
The drive to dam the river continues to outpace real understanding of the dams’ impact. -
28 Jan 2020
Forging consensus in the South China Sea
By backing each other’s claims, a united Southeast Asian front would be difficult for Beijing to divide and conquer.