China–Vietnam relations: past sovereignty and sea (Helen Clark, The Strategist)

Geopolitics is often seen through a telescopic lens: with intense focus in one spot with the rest entirely out of view. That often seems to happen to nations’ relations with China. The US and China are a good example. Much of the conventional wisdom says that they’re competing for hegemony in Southeast Asia and, if you listen to Donald Trump, over trade.

http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/china-vietnam-relations-past-sovereignty-sea/

Vietnam sends rocket launchers to the South China Sea (The Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/10/vietnam-sends-rocket-launchers-to-the-south-china-sea

US and Vietnam: Tiptoeing Towards a Procurement Relationship (Edward Schwarck, RUSI)

https://rusi.org/commentary/us-and-vietnam-tiptoeing-towards-procurement-relationship

China and the US Court Vietnam (Cal Wong, The Diplomat)

After Vietnam’s initial outrage at the Chinese deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HYSY 981) oil rig near the Paracel Islands within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in 2014, the country has largely taken a back seat in the various protests against China. In doing so, it now appears Vietnam stands to benefit from the competing interests of the superpowers vying for control of the South China Sea

http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/china-and-the-us-court-vietnam/

Can U.S.-Vietnam Relations Move Above and Beyond the China Challenge? (Brian Andrews, The National Interest)

On Sunday, President Obama arrives for his first visit to Vietnam. It is surprising the trip has taken this long given the dramatic improvements the Obama administration has achieved in U.S.-Vietnam relations. As an element of its ‘pivot’ to the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has increased the strategic nature of its dialogue with Vietnam, enhanced cooperation on regional issues and expanded economic connectivity. From Hanoi’s perspective, U.S.-Vietnam relations represent an increasingly “independent” relationship – meaning Vietnamese leaders consider policy approaches towards the United States on their own terms, without weighing the potential implications to its relationship with China. The Obama visit provides an opportunity to forge a stronger bilateral partnership with its own compelling vision for the future and means to achieve it

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/can-us-vietnam-relations-move-above-beyond-the-china-16288

Obama and the Vietnam Arms Embargo (Joshua Kurlantzick , CFR)

This weekend, President Obama will travel to Vietnam, making the third U.S. presidential visit to the country since the end of the Vietnam War

http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2016/05/19/obama-and-the-vietnam-arms-embargo/

Are Vietnam’s elections becoming more democratic? (Hai Hong Nguyen, East Asia Forum)

Vietnam will hold its parliamentary election in May 2016. The three key positions of president, prime minister and chairperson of the National Assembly will all be elected. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this election is the emerging group of self-nominated candidates. This election, around 30 civil society activists are running for the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) controlled National Assembly.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/03/23/are-vietnams-elections-becoming-more-democratic/

The End of Vietnam's Pivot to America? (Matthew Pennekamp, The National Interest)

New leadership could threaten a nascent strategic alliance.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-end-vietnams-pivot-america-15398

Vietnam’s stalled reform agenda (Loc Doan, East Asia Forum)

The Doi Moi (renovation) policy initiated by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in 1986 transformed Vietnam’s economy at the time. But the 30-year-old Doi Moi policies have long run out of steam. If Vietnam wants to catch up with other more advanced countries in Southeast Asia, it must embark on another Doi Moi aimed at liberalising the country’s political, as well as economic, structures.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/02/19/vietnams-stalled-reform-agenda/

Vietnam’s China challenge (Nguyen Khac Giang, East Asia Forum)

After one of the most highly contested Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) elections to date, the incumbent General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected to the top post of the Vietnamese regime in late January. But victory in the elections is just the first challenge in Trong’s five-year term. The next major challenge for the new leader will be managing the relationship with China.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/02/18/vietnams-china-challenge-2/

What a New Vietnam-Russia Deal Says About the Mekong’s Future (Luke Hunt, The Diplomat)

It is potentially an unusual business transaction. While the prospect of a Vietnamese company taking over a Russian group in of itself is unusual, the buyout of a strategic stake in a major fish distributor is also a reflection of changing attitudes to the management of the Mekong River.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/02/what-a-new-vietnam-russia-deal-says-about-the-mekongs-future/

Vietnam’s uphill battle against corruption (Hai Hong Nguyen, East Asia Forum)

The day after the 12th national Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the Bank of Investment and Development of Vietnam announced the suspension of its two governing board members. The men allegedly committed ‘wrongdoings in management’, a term usually used by the authorities for offences associated with corruption. It is hard to know the exact reason this case was made public, particularly given recent rumours of political infighting within the CPV. But it seems that the CPV wanted to send a clear message to the public that it is determined to continue fighting corruption.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/02/11/vietnams-uphill-battle-against-corruption/

Korea’s Recent Export to Vietnam and Implications (KIEP)

In 2015, while Korea’s total exports were sluggish mainly due to weak global demand, its exports to Vietnam have increased rapidly, and Vietnam emerged as Korea’s top 3rd export destination. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Korean investors took advantage of Vietnam's low-wage in labor-intensive industry. From the mid 2000s, they started to shift their focus from labor-intensive to capital and technology-intensive industries. This has been driven by massive investment by SEC (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd) in mobile phone manufacturing. The strategic investment by SEC is transforming Vietnams’ industrial structure from labor-intensive to technology-intensive, and has put Vietnam on the top of the list of world's mobile phone producing countries. With Korea-Vietnam FTA ratified in 2015, and the year 2016 will offer new opportunities to promote cooperation between Korea and Vietnam. Future bilateral economic cooperation should not simply stop at demanding higher liberalization levels, but support building a production network that promotes a ‘win-win’ cooperative relationship for mutual benefits.

http://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/sub/mainview.do?bbsId=worldEcoUdt&nttId=188228

Balancing Inclusiveness, Rigour and Feasibility: Insights from Participatory Impact Evaluations in Ghana and Vietnam (Adinda Van Hemelrijck, IDS)

This paper by Adinda Van Hemelrijck and Irene Guijt explores how impact evaluation can live up to standards broader than statistical rigour in ways that address challenges of complexity and enable stakeholders to engage meaningfully.

A Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) was piloted to assess and debate the impacts on rural poverty of two government programmes in Vietnam and Ghana funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). We discuss the trade-offs between rigour, inclusiveness and feasibility encountered in these two pilots. Trade-offs occur in every impact evaluation aiming for more than reductionist rigour, but the pilots suggest that they can be reduced by building sufficient research and learning capacity.

http://www.ids.ac.uk/publication/balancing-inclusiveness-rigour-and-feasibility-insights-from-participatory-impact-evaluations-in-ghana-and-vietnam

Vietnam: From Ho Chi Minh To ‘Selfies’ (IDN)

http://www.eurasiareview.com/12092015-vietnam-from-ho-chi-minh-to-selfies-oped/

Indian Air Force Chief Visits Vietnam (The Diplomat)

http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/indian-air-force-chief-visits-vietnam/

(Global) The Vietnam-US-China Triangle: New Dynamics And Implications (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies)

http://www.eurasiareview.com/29082015-the-vietnam-us-china-triangle-new-dynamics-and-implications-analysis/

(Istituto fondamentale - Vietnam/USA) Vietnam and the US: From enemies to lovers (Richard Javad Heydarian, Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/07/vietnam-enemies-lovers-china-150710060712191.html

(Istituto fondamentale - Vietnam/Belarus) Vietnam, Belarus Ink New Military Pact (Prashanth Parameswaran, The Diplomat)

http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/vietnam-belarus-ink-new-military-pact/

(Istituto fondamentale - Vietnam) Vietnam After 2016: Who Will Lead? (Chánh Công Phan, The Diplomat)

http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/vietnam-after-2016-who-will-lead/