By Zach Abuza On November 15, Vietnam’s National Assembly held a vote of confidence for 50 members of the government. The vote was an internal referendum on the Vietnam Communist Party’s performance as the vast majority are members of the…
By Nguyen Manh Hung Tensions between Vietnam and China were reduced substantially in July after China withdrew its oil rig from Vietnam’s continental shelf. The two countries have since begun to take steps to restore friendly and neighborly relations. Unlike…
By John Schaus As heads of state seek good-news deliverables at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit, and Group of 20 leaders’ meetings, a longer-term issue is shaping the drivers of peace and conflict in maritime Southeast Asia. Growing…
By John Hamre As President Obama travels on a crucial trip to the region for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, East Asia Summit, and G-20 meeting, the United States and all of the countries in the region are faced…
By Nigel Cory Thankfully there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in Southeast Asia, with a few people testing negative after reporting symptoms common to the disease. Nine people arriving in Malaysia from West Africa with fevers tested negative…
By Carl Thayer After a tense six months, China-Vietnam relations took a major step toward mending with the unexpected three-day visit to Beijing by a 13-member high-level Vietnamese military delegation from October 16-18, led by Minister of National Defense General…
By Bruno Hellendorff & Truong-Minh Vu Vietnamese prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung this week will lead a high-level delegation on a tour of three European countries and the Vatican. In addition to discussions on economic cooperation, security will also be…
By Jonathan London Vietnamese foreign minister Pham Binh Minh’s visit to Washington this week marks an important event in a larger process of warming governmental ties between the United States and Vietnam. The talks come after several months of high-level…
By Truong-Minh Vu & Nguyen Nhat-Anh After 10 days of intensive meetings in Hanoi, a high-level Vietnamese government delegation traveled to Washington on September 15-19 to discuss the country’s priorities in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with U.S. officials. With negotiations between…
By Zachary Abuza There has been significant media attention about Vietnam’s acquisition of six Russian-made Kilo-class submarines. Two have been delivered and are going through training runs. One is undergoing sea trials in Russia while the last three will be…