Asian Perspective

Abstract:

Vietnam has implemented hedging strategies in response to the geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. While the uncertainty from the dynamics of the Sino–US rivalry has been widely acknowledged, we examine how Vietnam's hedging strategy is also calibrated toward ongoing domestic political developments. We argue that while the international environment determines the overall structure of Vietnam's geopolitical hedging strategy, domestic factors, such as the success of Doi Moi, the interaction of party factions, and disagreements among public elites, influence the breadth of this strategy. Current global exigencies and internal domestic concerns require Hanoi to intelligently and delicately calibrate its interactions with great powers with little margin for error.