Vietnam has been emblematic in illustrating the evolving dynamics of relations between most Southeast Asian states and great powers. As one of the states that has become increasingly prominent in the region, Vietnam has carefully cultivated its relations with both the United States and China as well as other major powers, employing what they call an omni-directional foreign policy (also known as multialignment). This paper examines Vietnam’s multialignment strategy through Evelyn Goh’s concept of enmeshment combined with Thomas Wilkins’ alignment theory, which together capture the multidirectional character of Vietnam’s foreign policy. It shows how Vietnam leverages engagement with multiple great powers to strengthen its international position and safeguard its interests, while preventing any single power from gaining excessive influence. This approach will be illustrated by comparing Vietnam’s relations with Russia, its traditional and most influential supporter and the US, which has grown to be one of Vietnam’s two most important partners (alongside China) to determine if and how these two partnerships are compatible in the long run and their relative weighting in Vietnamese foreign policy. The paper analyses whether and if so, why Vietnam is unwilling to relinquish its old alignments in favour of the new ones, as well as how these alignments are helpful in securing Vietnam’s security and political interests.
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