Le Hong Hiep

Vietnam's Alliance Politics in the South China Sea - Trends in Southeast Asia Le Hong Hiep

Vietnam has long maintained "no alliance" as a core principle in its foreign policy. However, as China becomes increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, there are indications that Vietnam is moving towards "alliance politics", or efforts to forge close security and defence ties short of formal, treaty-bound alliances with key partners, to deal with the new situation.