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A vendor stands by his decorations shop in Hanoi. Vietnam’s economy grew by more than 5 per cent in 2023. AFP
Episode 2681 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a Vietnam Vet’s look at the status of Vietnam as it moves into 2024. As a Vietnam veteran who spent two years in Vietnam, this pod-caster brought home a high opinion of the country of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.
According to the report shared on this podcast episode titled: How Vietnam turned US-China competition to its advantage, the Vietnamese have lived up to high opinions held by this pod-caster. The report comes from the National News website and was submitted by Richard Javad Heydarian a Manila-based academic, columnist and author.
According to Heydarian’s report; The once-impoverished and war-stricken nation of Vietnam has emerged as a global pivot state, with 2023 being the year in which major investors and superpowers paid more attention to it than ever before.
Vietnam’s diplomatic success has been nothing short of breath-taking. Within a span of few months, it became the only country to serve as a state-visit destination for both US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Mr Biden oversaw the elevation of bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Mr Xi ushered in a “golden era” of bilateral relations with his communist brethren to the south.
Historically, few nations have had as turbulent a history as Vietnam. Throughout the past millennia alone, it has had to grapple with several invading empires, including Mongolians, the Chinese and the French.
Without a doubt, the New Year will be filled with many geopolitical challenges, especially growing tensions between the US and China. But if there is one middle-sized country in East Asia that has shown an ability to hold its own in the face of manifold geopolitical challenges, that’s Vietnam.
Listen to episode 2681 and discover more about the status of Vietnam as we move into 2024.
