28 Nov 2025
Vietnam’s race between speed and stamina
To Lam has fast consolidated power, but this new logic of control is not reform in the Western sense.
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25 Nov 2025
Southeast Asian manufacturing: No longer immune from geopolitics
The region’s industrial sector must adapt in a new climate of supply-chain weaponisation. -
13 Nov 2025
Preparing for when disaster and conflict converge
What Australia must learn for its defence posture following record flooding and typhoons in Vietnam and the Philippines. -
17 Oct 2025
Signal failure for China’s railway diplomacy in Southeast Asia
As Indonesia renegotiates railway debt with China, other Southeast Asian nations face a cautionary tale about mega-projects. -
14 Oct 2025
The other Cambodia border issue ASEAN can’t fix
Vietnam rehabilitated its image everywhere except Cambodia. -
8 Oct 2025
Vietnam is courting North Korea – and still winning Western friends
Hanoi’s multilateral approach lets it engage both Pyongyang and Washington, punching above its weight diplomatically. -
29 Sep 2025
National champions – Vietnam’s solution to the middle-income trap
The international economic environment could hardly be less propitious. -
25 Sep 2025
Is the US really losing to China in Southeast Asia?
A major new research project published by the Lowy Institute says yes – but there’s more to the story. -
10 Sep 2025
The South China Sea’s next legal frontier: Ships without sailors
Unmanned warships blur legal boundaries as technology outpaces international law in contested maritime zones. -
5 Sep 2025
In Vietnam’s case, what, exactly, is the target of Trump’s “transshipment” tariffs?
Ill-defined enforcement and geopolitical realities may see Washington’s measures favour Beijing over Hanoi. -
29 Jul 2025
Will US tariffs boost Cambodia’s illegal logging?
The Trump administration’s new levies are set to fuel black market trade and exacerbate environmental damage. -
17 Jul 2025
The fallacy of Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy
Vietnam is prioritising appeasement of the powers that matter – Beijing and Washington – while neglecting its own long-term vulnerabilities. -
3 Jul 2025
Vietnam’s Trump tariff deal: What it means for Asian supply chains
A US crackdown on Chinese goods still appears to be the target – but it all depends on the approach. -
20 Jun 2025
Myanmar and ASEAN’s parallel diplomacy trap
In Southeast Asia, national imperatives are increasingly outweighing regional cohesion. -
30 Apr 2025
Peace without victory: Historical lessons from Wilson to Trump
American approaches to conflict resolution follow a pattern. -
23 Apr 2025
From tariffs to triumph, Vietnam holds the key to US trade strategy
The next three months offer a rare chance for the US to turn tariff tensions into a durable framework for fairer trade. -
25 Mar 2025
Made in Vietnam or a backdoor for Chinese exports?
Fretting over “hidden” Chinese exports should not overshadow Vietnam’s helpful role in diversifying global supply chains. -
20 Mar 2025
Southeast Asia’s critical role as a green industrial leader
The region’s industrial transformation remains the key for long-term economic prosperity – and the world’s climate goals. -
6 Mar 2025
Missed signals: What Southeast Asia wants vs what Australia delivers
With US aid disappearing, a new report shows Australia has a chance to align development cooperation with the region’s challenges and Australia’s strengths. -
4 Nov 2024
ASEAN countries confront Chinese export glut
Left unchecked, a saturation of Chinese goods may complicate what has otherwise been a very compelling ASEAN growth story. -
2 Sep 2024
A pilgrimage to China for Vietnam’s new leader
Talk of divergent strategic views between the neighbours would be a misreading of history. -
10 Jul 2024
Vietnam’s recent challenges shouldn’t deter savvy investors
Hanoi isn’t moving closer to Beijing, and that’s good news for foreign companies de-risking their China manufacturing. -
8 Jul 2024
Political upheaval in Vietnam is holding its economy back
Officials have become extremely cautious about signing off on public investment decisions – and foreign investors are taking note. -
5 Jul 2024
Putin’s diplomacy roadshow in North Korea and Vietnam
Despite Moscow’s charm offensive, regional states are keeping their options open, and China remains the partner of choice. -
29 May 2024
Water woes: Cambodia and Vietnam clash over the Funan Techo Canal
Environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns are all bound up in the latest tensions along the Mekong River. -
14 May 2024
Dams, salt, and the sad fate of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Freshwater depletion and salinisation have become critical issues, while nationalism impedes cooperation. -
26 Mar 2024
From silence to remembrance: Vietnam’s shifting approach to China
The delicate balancing of honouring fallen soldiers while navigating a strategically important yet tense relationship with a powerful neighbour. -
22 Mar 2024
Australia-Vietnam: Middle powers alike
The new comprehensive strategic partnership signals a broader network of friends – with benefits for both sides. -
14 Mar 2024
Australia-Vietnam: A partnership made in China?
Strategic partnerships can begin with certain goals but come to serve totally different purposes. -
22 Feb 2024
Can Vietnam and Cambodia build a lasting peace?
Haunted by history, the two nations must go beyond official narratives for true reconciliation. -
6 Feb 2024
Southeast Asian maritime security: Australia can help
Australia should support Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei in developing their maritime governance capacity to enhance their resilience against threats. -
6 Feb 2024
One year into the Indonesia and Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnerships
It’s a long and winding road – but the destination is crucial. -
1 Feb 2024
Vietnam’s ports prosper as supply chains fracture
The country was seen as a winner in the US-China trade war. But the gains are quite extraordinary. -
15 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s pivot
In navigating the US-China power play in Southeast Asia, Vietnam seem to have the right moves. -
2 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s challenge to wean off coal
Fossil fuels have driven rapid growth but the country has pledged – with global help – to be carbon neutral by 2050. -
12 Sep 2023
Amid great power visits, don’t underestimate middle power cooperation
With Vietnam supercharging its relationship with the United States, Australia may be next. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
17 Jul 2023
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning. -
29 Jun 2023
Better late than never: Vietnam releases 2021–30 power plan
Just don’t expect coal to be out of the energy mix quite yet. -
27 Jun 2023
China’s double wedge against efforts to foster Vietnam-US relations
Just as Beijing seeks to coerce Hanoi in the South China Sea, it warns about Washington’s intentions closer to home. -
26 May 2023
India’s underperforming ties to Vietnam
India’s weak cultural imprint fragments into insignificance faced with China’s. -
27 Feb 2023
What recent changes at the top mean for Vietnam
Don’t expect major shifts in economic or foreign policy. The key challenge is a nest of structural obstacles at home. -
9 Feb 2023
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking. -
2 Feb 2023
Economic diplomacy: Diversification is hard to do
Treasurer Jim Chalmers should rise above outdated jibes at the IMF to justify his aims for a new values-based economy. -
27 Jul 2022
What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing
After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward. -
9 Jun 2022
Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. -
16 May 2022
Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong
The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission. -
26 Apr 2022
Vietnam’s “Four No’s” of defence policy are being tested
The war in Ukraine has forced Hanoi into a delicate dance between Russia and the United States. -
15 Apr 2022
Taming troubled waters
Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea. -
12 Apr 2022
How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality
Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed.