Cynical Shoots of Bamboo: Việt Nam’s Hypocrisy in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ 

When Donald Trump unveiled his “Board of Peace” in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year, it was framed ostensibly as a humanitarian crusade to manage the postwar reconstruction of Gaza. 

However, the initiative’s underlying mechanics read less like an effective plan for Middle Eastern stability and more like the U.S. president’s own vanity project. 

The Board’s charter dictates that Donald J. Trump will serve as the inaugural chairman with the sole authority to accept members, dictate policy, and control funds, while other countries can effectively purchase a permanent seat on the board for an absurd $1 billion. 

Predictably, traditional Western allies like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada steered clear of this ego-driven, ethically bankrupt enterprise, fearing that it was designed to undermine the United Nations. 

In lieu of their absence, the Board’s roster became a rogues’ gallery of autocrats, absolute sovereigns, and states with highly questionable moral compasses. Current members include Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Argentina’s Javier Milei, rubbing shoulders with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Qatar. 

Yet, sticking out like a sore thumb among this motley crew of the morally questionable is Việt Nam. Represented by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, the country stands out as one of the very few Southeast Asian nations—alongside Indonesia and Cambodia—to join the board and attend its inaugural meeting in Washington. 

For a country that fiercely guards its independence, joining an organization entirely dominated by the whims of an unstable and volatile American president is objectively strange. 

In order to understand why Hà Nội is suddenly eager to align itself with this unsavory coalition, the deeply cynical and entirely transactional doctrine that governs how it deals with foreign nations—Bamboo Diplomacy—must be examined. 

The Pragmatic Bending of Bamboo Diplomacy

Coined in the modern context by the late Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Việt Nam’s Bamboo Diplomacy “draws its essence from the bamboo plant,” representing “strong roots, a sturdy trunk, and adaptable branches.” In other words, it exemplifies the county’s stance on national sovereignty combined with the flexibility to navigate global geopolitics, specifically the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China. 

In practice, however, Bamboo Diplomacy is a ruthless and opportunistic strategy, equivalent to playing both sides of the fence. Bamboo Diplomacy allows Việt Nam to reap the benefits of global integration without committing to anyone’s cause but its own. 

When it comes to the United States, Việt Nam’s bamboo branches have learned to bend extraordinarily low. The U.S. remains Việt Nam’s largest export market, accounting for a staggering 30% of its GDP, making the country heavily reliant on American consumers to keep its economy afloat. 

With Donald Trump wielding tariffs like a blunt instrument, Hà Nội recognized that it was standing directly in the path of a potential economic disaster. Upgrading ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is nice on paper, but Trump demands tangible, transactional appeasement. To survive the storm, Việt Nam knew it had to stroke the U.S. president’s ego and—to a small degree—bend the knee. 

The Selfish Spoils of Peace

The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes it appear that Việt Nam’s involvement in the Board of Peace is a noble endeavor. Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Nguyễn Quốc Dũng asserted—somewhat sanctimoniously—that Việt Nam, as a nation “that has endured devastating wars, understands the value of peace, reconciliation, and post-conflict reconstruction.” He boldly asserted that the country is ready to contribute its “personnel and resources” to the socio-economic recovery and stabilization of livelihoods in Gaza. 

This exercise of performative altruism is deeply insulting to those genuinely committed to Palestinian relief. Việt Nam is not joining the Board of Peace because it cares about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, nor is it joining to bring its post-war recovery expertise to the Middle East. It is joining for its own selfish economic benefit.

The real prize for Hà Nội was secured far away from the rubble of Gaza, behind closed doors in Washington, D.C. In exchange for validating Trump’s Board of Peace and agreeing to drop a massive $30 billion on 90 Boeing aircraft, Việt Nam secured a massive technological and economic boon. Trump also pledged to instruct relevant U.S. agencies to remove Việt Nam from restricted strategic export control lists. 

By getting off these restricted lists, Việt Nam secures its future access to advanced American technology, specifically in electronics and aerospace. This move will attract more high-quality foreign direct investment from tech giants who will now feel secure building complex manufacturing hubs in Việt Nam rather than just low-wage assembly plants. Furthermore, by playing the loyal partner and joining Trump’s pet project, Việt Nam has successfully negotiated its way out of the worst of his global tariffs.

Joining the Board of Peace was simply the fee Việt Nam had to pay to secure a multi-billion-dollar technology and trade deal. The horrific situation in Gaza is nothing more than a convenient, tragic backdrop for a highly lucrative business transaction between Hà Nội and Washington. 

If It Walks Like a Duck

In the cutthroat, anarchic arena of international relations, self-interest is the only true currency. Nations act to survive, to prosper, and to protect their sovereignty. Việt Nam prioritizing its economic growth, securing advanced technology, and attempting to manage a volatile U.S. president is not surprising. No one can reasonably blame Việt Nam for acting selfishly to secure a brighter economic future.

But Hà Nội should at least spare the rest of the world from its sanctimonious rhetoric. It is profoundly insulting to the intelligence of the international community for the Vietnamese government to hide behind a veil of humanitarianism, pretending that its participation in the Board of Peace is about justice, reconstruction, or a deep-seated empathy for the victims of the conflict. 

When a country willingly counts itself among a roster of member states with questionable morals, glaring democratic deficits, and horrific human rights records, they are not fooling anyone. Việt Nam is not a champion of global peace; it is merely seizing an opportunistic business deal.

If Việt Nam wants to engage in ruthless, transactional diplomacy, it should at least have the backbone to own it. But saying one thing while transparently meaning another only damages whatever credibility Hà Nội thinks it is building. 

If a nation joins a morally bankrupt club, signs billion-dollar aerospace contracts to appease an American president, and uses a devastating humanitarian crisis as a convenient smokescreen for its own economic enrichment, the pattern speaks for itself. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. And in Việt Nam’s case, it is a profoundly cynical one.