Dak Lak armed group connected to US-based terrorists
The armed group that attacked two government headquarters in Dak Lak Province earlier this month has connections with terrorists based in the U.S., the homeland security department says.
US combat ship to make rare port call in Vietnam amid South China Sea tensions
The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will stop at Central Vietnam’s port city of Danang on Sunday in a rare visit for a U.S. warship to the southeast Asian nation, as tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea…
Biden hopes for Vietnam breakthrough
Washington and Hanoi have been inching closer, but it’s a complicated dance.
Vietnam seeks safer maritime security partnerships
In March 2023, China and ASEAN resumed negotiations on the South China Sea (SCS) Code of Conduct, which aims to reduce the risk of conflict in the disputed maritime zone. But such progress has not calmed the situation. In February…
China’s defence ties with Cambodia raise red flags for Vietnam
It has been over 40 years since Vietnamese military forces rolled into Cambodia and toppled the brutal Pol Pot regime. One of the drivers that led Vietnam to conduct a military campaign against Cambodia was its sense of strategic vulnerability,…
Land before water : why Vietnam’s grand strategy is fundamentally continental
Despite limited past operations in littoral waters, the country’s strategic attention has been overwhelmingly directed at land-based threats.
Is Vietnam torn between land and sea in its defense ?
Should Vietnam prioritize land or sea in its quest for security ? This is not a straightforward question as it first appears.
The domestic political optics of Vietnam’s international defense expo
The well-attended December 8-10 event was part of a broader public relations strategy designed to capture the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese public.
How Vietnam can balance against China, on land and at sea
Vietnam’s proximity to China and lack of strategic depth limit its options in forming security partnerships with other great powers.
Russia, Vietnam slowly but surely parting strategic ways
Hanoi is now openly diversifying its weaponry purchases away from Moscow, an emerging break driven by the war in Ukraine.
Vietnam turns away from Russia
Vietnam has held its first ever defence trade show as it seeks to diversify the sources of its defence acquisitions and showcase its domestic defence industry.
Vietnam carries out ‘substantial’ expansion in South China Sea, US thinktank finds
Dredging and landfill work creates 170 hectares of new land in Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by China and others
U.S. defence companies in talks to sell Vietnam helicopters, drones
U.S. defence firms and top Vietnamese government officials have discussed supplying military gear, including helicopters and drones, two sources with knowledge of the talks told Reuters, a new sign the country may reduce its reliance on Russian arms.
Vietnam’s maritime imperative
The recent debate on The Strategist about whether Vietnam should have a maritime or continental geostrategic orientation has reinvigorated the long-term and historical interaction between the two strategic cultures.
Why Vietnam needs to pivot landward for its security
With China increasing the pressure both on land and at sea, Vietnam is facing a hard choice: should it continue its maritime tilt adopted since the early 2000s or should it pivot back to the land like it did throughout…
Why a maritime focus is vital for Vietnam’s security
Geography influences the strategic choices of all countries, but Vietnam is an interesting case of a ‘swing’ state in comparative grand-strategy terms.
Government eyes commercial use of three military airports
Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has ordered agencies to study the possibility of using two military airports in the central and southern regions and one in Hanoi for civilian purposes.
China stokes encirclement fear in next-door Vietnam
China’s rising engagement of Cambodia and Laos is shifting neighboring Vietnam’s strategic focus from sea to land
India, Vietnam agree to expand counter-terror & maritime security ties
The Second India – Vietnam Security Dialogue at the level of Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Minister here on Tuesday decided to ramp up counter-terror and maritime security partnership amid China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
Why Vietnam should not go nuclear
Pursuing a nuclear deterrent against Chinese aggression would undermine the country’s international reputation and destabilize relations with Beijing.
‘Defence, security cooperation becoming stronger in India-Vietnam partnership’
We don’t tend to go with India in order to fight against China. We don’t take a side; there is no zero-sum game here. We take the side of peace, the side of international law. India and China are all…
Make defense industry Vietnam’s spearhead
The defense industry needs to be closely linked with other sectors to serve both military and civilian purposes, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said.
Square in Paris named after Vietnamese pilot Do Huu Vi
A small square in the 16th arrondissement of Paris has been named after Vietnamese pilot Do Huu Vi, one of the first pilots in the French military, who died at age 33 in a combat in France during World War I (1914-1918).
Vietnam opposes Taiwan’s illegal live-fire drills in Ba Binh Island waters
Hanoi resolutely objects to Taiwan’s live-fire exercises in the waters around Ba Binh (Itu Aba) Island, part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
Vietnam warily weighs a China base in Cambodia
Vietnam so far reticent on reports China has a secret naval base deal with Cambodia but privately Hanoi is clearly worried.
Could Vietnam’s relations with Russia be another casualty of the Ukraine war ?
The war in Ukraine has shaken a fundamental assumption of Vietnam’s defence posture—that its old friend Russia would remain a reliable supplier of key weapons systems to help deter Chinese aggression.