Vietnam’s foreign policy and its implications for ,Doi Moi‘Henrich Dahm

ASIEN – Nr. 56 (1995) pp. 29–54

In this article an attempt is made to analyse Vietnam’s response to the changed international environment, and the main features of the new domestic and foreign policy are described. The main part of this is devoted to the problems and chances of Vietnam’s bilateral relations with the U.S., China, ASEAN, Japan, the former CMEA, and the European countries as well as the region itself. The author draws the conclusion that Vietnam’s new ‚open door‘ foreign policy will be successful only if it is supported by a sound economic reform. In return, the foreign policy will have to support the economic development by strengthening international co-operation, improving Vietnam’s international status and supplying missing capital, technology and know-how. Only if domestic and foreign policies are coordinated in a proper manner and so support one another, the Vietnamese government will be able to create a stable and productive international and domestic environment, the basis for becoming a new ‚tiger‘.