Vietnam's Bamboo Diplomacy: Literature Review

By Joey Do

Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy has been a recent topic of growing interest in the arena of Asia-Pacific scholarly research. The ideology recently gained traction when it was promoted by Nguyen Phu Trong, the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam who has been in office since 2011. By definition, Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy describes the nation’s independent conduct in foreign relations, that is, strong, and flexible just as a bamboo, neither leaning towards any super-powers. According to Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy has continued to shape and define Vietnam’s foreign relations  in the complex political landscape of the twenty-first century (NhanDan). Initially, this ideology started as one of the political frameworks during the war era under Ho Chi Minh. Trong claimed that Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy “[have] has strong roots, solid stems, and very flexible branches, like Vietnamese bamboo. The country’s approach to the world is soft and clever but still persistent and resolute; creative but consistent; resilient but valiant” (Nguyen). Consequently, the ideology is crucial to the state’s proliferation and political survival as it served as “the right path of independence, international accommodationism, and multilateralism” (Nguyen). Although nascent in its development, Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy is unique in its characteristics when compared to similar political strategies in Southeast Asia. 

Perhaps a more popular foreign policy tactic is Thailand’s Bamboo Diplomacy, which described Thailand's flexible diplomacy during the colonial occupation in the nineteenth and twentieth century. During this era, Thailand’s royalties and political leadership utilized strategic and conforming diplomatic signaling to preserve its status of independence. It faced tremendous pressures from British Burma to the West and from French Indochina to the East. However, Thailand remained the only country in Southeast Asia free of colonial occupation through moderate policy adaptations and concessions to Western policies. Although similar in ideology, Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy is only concerned with the modern political turmoils of post-command-economy Vietnam (Phan). 

Overall, most published works on Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy share a common definition and optimistic tone regarding the subject. Most works are in alignment in terms of scope and their appraisal of the agility of the Vietnamese leadership board and foreign policies. However, a majority of the literature produced on this topic was only op-eds and other medium-length formats in several reputable regional journals and media outlets. There are only a few long-form, extended works produced on the subject published by the Wilson Center. Although most of the produced works accurately defined the ideology and explained its historical roots, there are many more nuances to be discussed. Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy is indeed a complex ideology with many far-reaching applications. 

For instance, writers could potentially explore the historical backgrounds behind the choice of  Vietnamese political leadership's adaptations of the Bamboo diplomacy strategy. Vietnam has a long history of being subject to foreign interference, considering the Chinese subjugation of a thousand years, French colonialism in the 19th century, Japanese intervention in 1945, and the notorious “Vietnam War” that lasted until 1975. With such history, local sentiments fearing foreign interventions are a natural extension of its long-winded past. Together, the leadership and the Vietnamese population’s alignment in such a restrained solution is thus regarded as natural. In the twentieth century, the roots of Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy can be traced back to Vietnam’s past balancing act in the Sino-Soviet split from 1960 to the1980s. Considering the present 21st century, Vietnam's Bamboo Diplomacy is evident in its current handling in the midst of the United States - China rivalry. 

Another perspective of Vietnam Bamboo Diplomacy that writers could potentially examine is its application in the recent events of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. About a month ago, Vietnam’s recent absentee vote at the United Nations on the Russian invasion was regarded as quite controversial in the international community. As a close ally of Russia, although Vietnam did not vote to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its absentee vote revealed questionable outcomes of Vietnam’s commitment to upholding their policy. How could such a decision reflect the nation’s commitment to Bamboo Diplomacy? Does the Vietnamese government favor one side more than the other? How would such a choice be analyzed under this framework? Another potential area of exploration is Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy and ASEAN Unity. Considering that many other countries in the block may have diverging interests, how can the Vietnamese ``bamboo” retain its flexibility and resilience? 

Most of the literature on Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy is produced by young Vietnamese analysts and scholars educated in foreign institutions. Some prominent names include To Minh Son (Nanyang Technical University), Phan Xuan Dung (ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute), and Nguyen Quoc Tran Tung (The Diplomat). There are only a few extended research outputs produced on the issue, one of which is by Priscilla Roberts published by the Wilson Center (Roberts). In addition, there were also other short-form articles published by regional media outlets such as the Fulcrum, AsiaReview, IndiaTimes, etc (AsiaReview). 

Considering the coverage of Vietnamese foreign policy, it is quite a positive sign that this ideology is being explored by such a variety of scholars and researchers. However, considering its potential significance and value, the ideology truly deserves better international recognition and understanding. One reason for this lack of scholarly research is the insular nature of Vietnamese domestic politics. Although Vietnamese domestic politics might be fascinating and rewarding for other models to learn from, its obscurity and lack of translation to major languages could potentially be one of the reasons. However, with Vietnam’s rising position as one of the Covid-19 champions, interest in Vietnamese politics could potentially increase and thus the ideology of Bamboo Diplomacy could gain more attention. Recently, Vietnam has surged as one of the middle powers in the Indo-Pacific region. Always known as a nation that continually punched above its weight in history, Vietnamese diplomacy can serve as a valuable reservoir for other middle powers in the region and around the world to learn from. For many middle powers, namely nations “middle” in political and economic powers, there are many political balances needed to perform to maintain the already fragile world order. 

References

AsiaReview. “What's behind Vietnam's 'Bamboo Diplomacy' Discourse?” Asia We Review, 25 July 2022, www.asiawereview.com/diplomacy/whats-behind-vietnams-bamboo-diplomacy-discourse/.

Nguyen, Trung. “The Problems with Vietnam's 'Bamboo Diplomacy'.” – The Diplomat, For The Diplomat, 20 Sept. 2022, thediplomat.com/2022/09/the-problems-with-vietnams-bamboo-diplomacy/.

NhanDan. “‘Vietnamese Bamboo’ Diplomacy Imbued with National Identity.” Nhan Dan Online, 3 Jan. 2022, en.nhandan.vn/vietnamese-bamboo-diplomacy-imbued-with-national-identity-post108947.html.

Phan, Dung Xuan, and Son Minh To . “What's behind Vietnam's 'Bamboo Diplomacy' Discourse?” FULCRUM, 22 July 2022, fulcrum.sg/whats-behind-vietnams-bamboo-diplomacy-discourse/.

Roberts , Priscilla. “Behind the Bamboo Curtain: China, Vietnam, and the World Beyond Asia.” Wilson Center, www.wilsoncenter.org/book/behind-the-bamboo-curtain-china-vietnam-and-the-world-beyond-asia.