The ‘Vietnam Peace’: How priorities in Vietnam's internal and external policies changed after 1987

The document analyzes the 'Vietnam Peace' starting from 1989, attributing it to the Doi Moi reforms and a strategic shift in foreign policy toward 'making friends with everyone'. It examines external peace through Vietnam's integration into ASEAN, APEC, and the WTO, and internal 'civil peace' through the management of regional disparities, leadership succession, and ethnic minority tensions. The author argues that while economic growth and diplomatic reorientation have maintained stability, long-term sustainability depends on the transition toward a more democratic society and the broader stability of the US-Japan-China strategic triangle.

• The 'Vietnam Peace' is defined as the period starting in 1989, following Vietnam's military withdrawal from Cambodia, characterized by an absence of armed fighting both externally and internally.
• Vietnam's external peace was facilitated by a strategic shift in the late 1980s to prioritize economic development and international cooperation over military confrontation, adopting a policy of 'making friends with everyone'.
• Key diplomatic milestones that bolstered Vietnam's external peace capacity include joining ASEAN in 1995, APEC in 1998, and the World Trade Organization on 7 November 2006.
• Vietnam maintains a cautious security posture, avoiding a formal military alliance with the United States to prevent resentment from China, while continuing to invest in modern aircraft, ships, and missiles as a deterrent.
• Internal 'civil peace' is maintained through a one-party system that manages leadership succession via a collective politburo (often a troika) to balance factions and regions, though this lacks transparency and risks infighting.
• Regional economic disparities, particularly the relative backwardness of Central Vietnam and the ethnic minority highlands compared to the growth in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, pose a threat to national cohesion.
• Ethnic tensions in the Central Highlands, specifically regarding land availability and the influx of Viet migrants, led to unrest in 2001, which the government attributed to external instigation by the 'Association of Montagnards'.
• The Vietnamese government has transformed its relationship with the Viet Kieu (Diaspora), viewing them as a vital source of remittances and investment, with 2006 remittances estimated at 4.5 billion USD.
• The state manages dissent through a combination of soft repression, internet monitoring, and the requirement that religious organizations register with the party-controlled Fatherland Front.
• The sustainability of the Vietnam Peace is linked to the 'East Asian Peace', which depends on regional nations prioritizing economic interests over territorial and historical disputes.

APA

Tønnesson, S. (2009). The ‘Vietnam Peace’: How priorities in Vietnam's internal and external policies changed after 1987. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b51fcf44-bc4b-4c55-86c3-21480d0afb79/The Vietnam Peace.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Tønnesson, Stein. The ‘Vietnam Peace’: How priorities in Vietnam's internal and external policies changed after 1987. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2009. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b51fcf44-bc4b-4c55-86c3-21480d0afb79/The Vietnam Peace.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tønnesson |first1=Stein |title=The ‘Vietnam Peace’: How priorities in Vietnam's internal and external policies changed after 1987 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=18 February 2009 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b51fcf44-bc4b-4c55-86c3-21480d0afb79/The Vietnam Peace.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tnnesson2009vietnam, author = {Tønnesson, Stein}, title = {{The ‘Vietnam Peace’: How priorities in Vietnam's internal and external policies changed after 1987}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2009}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b51fcf44-bc4b-4c55-86c3-21480d0afb79/The Vietnam Peace.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }