Both Russia and the U.S. Extend Congratulations to General Secretary To Lam on His Accession

Key events:

• Russian and U.S. Presidents Extend Congratulations to General Secretary To Lam on His Recent Accession
• Vietnamese Navy Vessel Arrives in China as Tensions Rise in South China Sea

Russian and U.S. Presidents Extend Congratulations to General Secretary To Lam on His Recent Accession

General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party To Lam had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 8. In the call, Putin congratulated To Lam, a police general, on his recent election to the party chairmanship and extended an invitation for him to visit Russia in the future. To Lam was the first high-profile politician to greet Vladimir Putin and the Russian delegation when they officially visited Vietnam in June. 

State media said the Russian leader appreciated To Lam and other Vietnamese leaders during the state visit. General Secretary and President To Lam reaffirmed Hanoi’s policy of non-alignment, self-reliance, and diversification of diplomatic ties. The general secretary added that Vietnam has always viewed its relationship with Moscow as strategic and one of its top foreign policy priorities.

Meanwhile, in a public statement on Aug. 7, President Joe Biden congratulated To Lam on his accession as the general secretary. He mentioned the diplomatic milestone when Hanoi and Washington upgraded bilateral relations to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the same level as Moscow and Beijing. The relationship upgrading was announced during President Biden’s visit to Vietnam in September 2023. The statement added that the United States continued to “advance this historical progress, which supports a strong, independent, prosperous, and resilient Vietnam.” 

However, U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Steel condemned the congratulatory message that President Biden sent To Lam, calling it “a slap in the face to the freedom-loving Vietnamese Americans” she represented since the newly elected general secretary has been known for his relentless repression of civil rights. “A former leader of the state security force, he has played a key role in stifling free speech, free exercise of religion, and a free economy,” Steel wrote in a press release dated Aug. 8. “The President must walk back his comments and publicly condemn this brutal Communist regime.”

Vietnamese Navy Vessel Arrives in China as Tensions Rise in South China Sea

A navy vessel under the command of Vietnam’s People's Army, the 015 Tran Hung Dao, arrived at a seaport in the southern province of Guangdong on Aug. 7 for a five-day visit as tensions flared in the South China Sea in recent months, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. According to the Navy command, the visit aims to “improve mutual understanding and trust” and “strengthen friendship” between the two national navies with cultural exchanges, joint exercises, and other activities.

The missile frigate 015 Tran Hung Dao was docked at a port in Zhanjiang, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Southern Theater Command headquarters, which oversees the South China Sea. The arrival of the Vietnamese frigate occurred amid an escalation of military activities in the disputed South China Sea waters. The Philippines recently held joint naval and air exercises with the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Last week, an unmanned Chinese aircraft approached Vietnam’s southern coast after Hanoi and Manila announced they would conduct joint coast guard exercises.

Despite their shared political system, Vietnam and China have been at odds over maritime disputes in the contested waters of the South China Sea. Beijing’s increasing assertion to consolidate its claims in the South China Sea has made Hanoi increasingly turn towards the U.S. and other countries, such as Japan and India, for security and protection. At the same time, Vietnam continues to carry out its “bamboo diplomacy,” a strategic plan to diversify its diplomatic relations while maintaining a delicate balance between the world’s two superpowers. 

Quick takes:

Politburo Appoints Maj. Gen. Vu Hong Van As Deputy Head of the Central Inspection Commission

The Politburo, on Aug. 8, appointed Maj. Gen. Vu Hong Van, a member of the Central Inspection Committee, the deputy head of this party-controlled agency. Van, 48, who hails from Hung Yen Province, has held key positions in the Ministry of Public Security, including in the Department of Internal Political Security and the Dak Lak and Dong Nai Provincial Police Department. The career police officer is the latest official to ascend through the ranks of the Communist Party since To Lam, who also comes from Hung Yen, assumed the general secretary chairmanship last week. The Central Inspection Committee assists the party in monitoring, investigating, and disciplining corrupt party members.

Ministry of Home Affairs Says Falun Gong Not Qualified as a Religion:

The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared that the Falun Gong spiritual movement does not qualify as a religion in Vietnam because “its practitioners do not identify as religious followers and have never requested recognition of their religious group.” The declaration came after the prime minister had ordered different governmental ministries to prevent the establishment of “illegal organizations” and handle some “complex incidents” allegedly caused by Falun Gong practitioners. The home ministry also stated that those who “take advantage of the Falun Gong to gather and spread false propaganda against the party's guidelines and policies will be strictly punished in accordance with the law.”

Vietnam Insight: Learn more about Vietnam

Vietnam accelerates island building to fight China’s maritime claims

The Washington Post/ Rebecca Tan and Laris Karklis/ Aug. 9

“Not since China carried out its own island-building campaign there a decade ago, turning semi-submerged reefs into sophisticated military bases, has the landscape of the archipelago been so transformed. In just three years, Vietnam has increased its amount of land in the Spratlys tenfold.

Trouble in the South China Sea

Tensions in the South China Sea are more acute than at any time in recent years. As China under President Xi Jinping has grown more aggressive in asserting its claims, a half dozen other governments have pursued their own security and economic interests in the strategic waters. The United States has urged that disputes be settled based on international law.

Leaders of Vietnam’s communist government have traditionally been muted about its land reclamation drive in the South China Sea, often refusing to explain or acknowledge the effort even in private conversations, said security analysts and diplomats.

But in rare interviews in the capital, Hanoi, five former and current Vietnamese officials said the government has been ‘consolidating’ outposts for the purpose of self-defense, part of a broader strategy to counter security threats ‘early and from afar.’”

Trong's 'Bamboo Diplomacy' in Posthumous Perspective

Asia Times/ Jorge Heine/ Aug. 6

“Bamboo diplomacy is especially apposite for smaller nations having to contend with great power competition. And it has parallels with the doctrine of active nonalignment that has taken hold in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in the past few years.

The strategy stresses the role of agency and initiative in dealing with uncertainty and a complex environment, as opposed to the more defensive posture that characterized the nonalignment of yesteryear.

Trong’s last few years played out against the backdrop of an especially turbulent period in world affairs, marked by escalating tensions between great powers, a devastating pandemic and two major wars – one in Ukraine and one in the Gaza Strip. But throughout, Vietnam managed to thrive and prosper.”

The Geopolitics of Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal

The Diplomat/ Nguyen Minh Quang, James Borton/ Aug. 7

“Geopolitically, the canal, with its potential to foster Chinese-backed economic enclaves and military installations near Vietnam’s southwestern border, poses a foreseeable challenge to Vietnam’s national security.

A few decades ago, the two neighboring countries experienced significant conflict over the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge’s raids into Vietnam, which prompted Vietnam to invade Cambodia and overthrow the regime in early 1979, and China’s subsequent invasion of Vietnam. Both governments are keen to avoid repeating this tragic history. However, Vietnam remains cautious, as a Cambodia with closer ties to China may not always align with Vietnam’s interests.”