U.S. - China Stiff Competition: Challenges for Vietnam in the Post-Trump Era

U.S. - China Stiff Competition: Challenges for Vietnam in the Post-Trump Era

Vietnam is a particular case to study the impact of United States (U.S.) and China competition in the Indo-Pacific region. Since the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of U.S. in January 2021, a period of stiff competition between U.S. and China has opened and put Vietnam in awkward situations. This paper aims to evaluate Vietnam's challenges in the post-Trump era on three aspects-diplomacy, defense and economy that Washington and Beijing have on Hanoi. Through recent policy feedback, the final findings show that Vietnam policies meet difficulty in (i) promoting US-Vietnam diplomatic cooperation; (ii) in resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea (SCS), and (iii) free trade agreements (FTAs) upgrading & decreasing Vietnam's dependence on China's supply chains.