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Relations between the United States and Vietnam have evolved rapidly since their bilateral ties were restored in 1995. One of the factors drawing two former foes closer together is assumed to be their shared concerns over China's rise, particularly China's growing aggressiveness in the South China Sea, where the US and Vietnam both have fundamental interests. This article investigates the US's policy toward Vietnam in terms of security dimension and assesses the extent to which the China factor can influence the pace and scope of cooperation between the two countries. In this article, the US's strengthening its security and defence cooperation with Vietnam these years is labelled as strategic adjustment. This article argues that the US's strategic adjustment toward Vietnam is largely driven by the China factor. The US's positive or negative views of China dictate whether Washington chooses to either stay neutral or lend support to Hanoi amid Vietnam-China tensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how China has successfully translated its economic might into political clout in Laos and Cambodia. The country's role as a major trading partner, foreign investor, and provider of aid to both countries has contributed substantially to their national development. This massive influx of Chinese investment and aid has also yielded positive results, as both countries have demonstrated a more accommodating attitude toward Beijing on a variety of issues. However, Chinese economic statecraft has had differing degrees of influence on the foreign policymaking of Laos and Cambodia, particularly with regard to their foreign policies toward Vietnam, a critical secondary state in Southeast Asia. While Cambodia has been less hesitant to bandwagon with China, Laos is still seeking to balance between China and Vietnam. This paper argues that Laos and Cambodia's existing perceptions of Vietnam dictate in part how they respond to China's economic inducements and affect the outcomes of Chinese economic statecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes Chineseness in premodern Vietnam and its influence on Vietnam's foreign policy toward China and Southeast Asia both past and present. The term Chineseness refers to the practice and preservation of Confucian ideas and values in Vietnam, which arguably consists of the Mandate of Heaven and Confucian Orthodoxy concepts and their subsequent orthodox lineage issue. Being considered culturally closer to China than Korea and Japan, Vietnam, throughout history, has relied on these concepts to position itself strategically and navigate its relations vis-à-vis China and other smaller countries in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese courts used to question the legitimacy and orthodox lineage of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty because they imagined themselves as part of the Sinic world. The sense of superiority over Manchus and of being the guardian of Sinic civilization reached a climax during the Nguyen dynasty, in part shaping Vietnam's foreign policy toward China and other Southeast Asian countries at that time. In addition, this deep-seated Chineseness also helps Vietnam's decision-makers to understand contemporary China, and subtly guides the creation of Vietnam's foreign policy today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many other small and middle powers, Vietnam is facing a strategic dilemma in the face of the U.S.-China rivalry. With the introduction of a vision for Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), the US seeks to strengthen ties with its allies and partners in the region to preserve rules-based international order and to counter China's rise. Being positioned as the U.S. burgeoning like-minded partner in the regional security architecture, how Vietnam responds to the FOIP strategy, hence, merits consideration. This article argues that Vietnam has responded positively toward the FOIP strategy due to the high compatibility between some key tenets of this strategy and its national interests. However, rather than joining and supporting FOIP in a full-fledged way, Vietnam has chosen to work selectively in some issues with the US. More specifically, while Vietnam proactively embraces the economic dimension in FOIP, it still remains cautious about the security domain. The rationale behind Vietnam's hesitation to lend full support to this strategy is partially driven by China factor. In this article, China is addressed as a "brake," which can exert influence on the speed and scope of cooperation that Vietnam is willing to move forward with the US under FOIP strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]