Vietnam foreign policy

The upgrade supplements Vietnam's historic upgrade of relations with the United States in September.

The stagnant state of the conflict is likely to make Hanoi even warier of relying on its security partnership with Washington.

All year there has been talk that the two nations will establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Could it happen before the end of 2023?

China's paramount leader Xi Jinping will reportedly soon make a state visit to Vietnam, just weeks after U.S. President Joe Biden.

The onus is on Southeast Asian countries to seize the initiative and collectively assert their role in shaping a regional order in a state of flux.

Communist ideology is an important factor in the making of Hanoi's foreign policy, but it is far from the only one.

What Hanoi needs from its relationship with Washington depends overwhelmingly on the state of China-Vietnam relations.

Despite auspicious diplomatic recent developments, an upgrade of the bilateral relationship remains unlikely, at least for now.

No matter how many international friends it has, Hanoi's international freedom of maneuver will be tightly constrained by China.

The kidnapping, which coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Vietnam last week, highlights the gaps in interests and perceptions between Washington and Hanoi.

Washington wants to raise relations to the level of a "strategic relationship," but Vietnamese leaders are moving cautiously, in light of the likely reaction from China.

The agreement, which will be signed later this year, coincides with the 30th anniversary of relations between the two countries.