# Is Vietnam Drifting Closer Toward China?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china.md
Podcast: [The China-Global South Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371)
Published: 2026-05-05T06:44:00+00:00
Episode link: https://ea0f0fdd-2944-4ff3-8a00-704e8c67d58b.libsyn.com/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ea0f0fdd-2944-4ff3-8a00-704e8c67d58b/CGSP_05052026_Libsyn.mp3?dest-id=4287628
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371/episodes/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china
Duration seconds: 2223

## Resource

Ties between China and Vietnam appear to be improving across every front. Vietnam is selling more to China, while China is investing more in its southern neighbor. Even on thorny territorial issues in the South China Sea, the two sides said they're talking through their differences. And last month, Vietnamese leader To Lam traveled to China in his capacity as both General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the country, a model many say was inspired by the Chinese political structure. All of this has prompted discussion among some Vietnamese analysts that Hanoi is swinging in Beijing's direction . But Khang Vu, a visiting scholar in Vietnamese political science at Boston College, strongly disagrees. Khang joins Eric to discuss why Hanoi's longstanding commitment to non-alignment among the major powers remains the bedrock of Vietnamese foreign policy. Show Notes: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Why Vietnam Is Swinging in China's Direction by Nguyen Khac Giang The Diplomat: The Myth of Vietnam's Tilt Toward China by Khang Vu The Diplomat: Interpreting the Future of Vietnam-China Relations Through the 2026 Joint Statemen t by Hai Hong Nguyen and Vu Quy Son 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode Vietnam–China relations: perception vs. reality The "Four No's" and non-aligned foreign policy Tho Lam's Beijing visit and key takeaways South China Sea tensions and regional dynamics Tech, trade, and Huawei: strategic hedging Navigating U.S.–China rivalry and global pressure Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Spa…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371/episodes/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-china-global-south-podcast-5670371/is-vietnam-drifting-closer-toward-china.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.