Boomland Vietnam: The socialist People's Republic is the only country US President Joe Biden and Chinese head of state Xi Jinping visited in 2023. The country remains neutral – and courted by everyone.

It seemed a bit odd that US President Joe Biden spoke about the erosion of human rights in democratic India during his state visit to communist Vietnam. But the truth is: Biden traveled to Hanoi in September straight from the G20 summit in New Delhi.

And with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refusing to hold a joint press conference, Biden used a press briefing in Vietnam to issue his warning. During his visit to Hanoi, Biden signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Vietnam and hailed it as “the beginning of a great era of cooperation.”

Chinese Head of State visits Vietnam: Xi talks about “community of destiny for a shared future”

This week it was China's head of state Xi Jinping, who is also Biden's geopolitical opponent, arriving in Hanoi. Xi emphasized the importance of building a “community of destiny for a shared future” and paraphrased his own global policy initiative – according to which he wants to change the global order in China's favor with the help of sympathetic partner countries.

China signed 36 agreements during Xi's state visit, including financing of the China-Vietnam railway as part of the New Silk Road, joint maritime patrols and a three-year plan to increase bilateral trade.

Vietnam is a strategic partner for everyone – Hanoi has a partnership with the United States

This makes Vietnam the only country in the world to receive both Biden and Xi in 2023. This fits Vietnam's non-aligned strategy: Hanoi does not want to be drawn into their own camp by either Washington or Beijing – but they want to benefit from relationship with both. On the one hand, Hanoi entered a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the United States, making it its closest alliance in international diplomacy. On the other hand, Vietnam joined Xi Jinping's “community of destiny” this week.

The country has a complicated relationship with both superpowers; Vietnam went to war with both half a century ago. Vietnam's war against America was called the “American War”, which ended with the establishment of a socialist people's republic in 1976 by Vietnam. Three years later, the country was involved in a bloody war on the border with a country that was considered a brother, China. To this day, there is still distrust in Vietnam towards its neighbor to the north – partly because the two are fighting over islands in the South China Sea.

Vietnam: a country of 100 million people with rapid economic development

Vietnam is a narrow country located on the coast of the South China Sea from the border with China to Southeast Asia – and is home to almost 100 million people. The country has recovered from the devastation of the Vietnam War; The country has a rapid development curve and currently has a per capita income of more than $4,000. This once isolated country now has business relations with 150 countries and several free trade agreements, including with the EU – and indirectly also with Germany.

The country is currently benefiting greatly from the “China Plus One” strategy implemented by many East and West Asian companies, wrote the federal foreign trade agency Germany Trade and Invest (gtai). in the current state report. A year ago, the Chancellor went on a trip Olaf Scholz with a large business delegation to Vietnam to encourage more cooperation. Germany must expand its sales markets, supply chains, sources of raw materials and production locations, stressed the Chancellor in Hanoi at the time. “Cooperation with Vietnam plays a very important role.”

Vietnam's successful see-saw policy between China and the US

The fact that Vietnam, like China, is a socialist people's republic with the same Leninist system of government doesn't seem to bother anyone much – unlike when dealing with Beijing. GTA only mentioned “possible hardening of the political regime” as one of the risk factors for the company's reputation in business in Vietnam.

Vietnam itself acts pragmatically in foreign policy and has so far succeeded in building equal relations with countries that compete or conflict with each other. Vietnam's Communist Party leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, first described this balance in 2016 as “bamboo diplomacy,” drawing on the traits of bamboo plants common to Vietnam: strong and tough, yet also flexible and adaptable.

Vietnam between China and America: Hanoi looking for its own friend

Shortly after Biden's visit, Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong traveled to Beijing in October, where the Chinese head of state showed him that the two countries had developed deep “friendship and brotherhood.” Both must consider bilateral relations as a priority in their respective foreign policies. Is this a hidden warning not to get too close to the US or its allies?

Vietnam remains on track. In late November, President Vo Van Thuong also signed it during a state visit to Tokyo Japan a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” If Beijing sees this as an affront, there are no signs of that happening. Xi Jinping is still traveling to Vietnam.