Vietnam President To Lam Visits China: Partnership, Rivalry or Both?
Vietnam’s leader To Lam has chosen Beijing for his first overseas visit—signaling both continuity and caution in one of Asia’s most complex relationships. While China and Vietnam are bound by ideology, trade and geography, deep tensions remain over the South China Sea and strategic alignment. As To Lam consolidates power in a model increasingly resembling Xi Jinping’s, Hanoi faces growing pressure to balance ties with both China and the United States. Can Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” still hold in an era of intensifying great-power competition? In this episode, we examine the meaning behind To Lam’s visit, the realities of China–Vietnam ties and what this evolving relationship could mean for ASEAN, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific balance of power. *Recorded on April 16, 2026 at 3:15pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Wen-Ti Sung Producer: Tina Hsu Our guests: Huang Chih-Peng - Former Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam Representative Jing Yuan-Chou - Tamkang University Department of Diplomacy and International Relations Adjunct Professor
