Vietnam celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Gulf of Tonkin incident on its 7pm news broadcast today. The broadcast praised the Vietnam People's Navy for its valor during the incident and reminded the audience how the US used the incident to start the war against North Vietnam.

Vietnam marked the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Vietnam-China Land Border Treaty today. The success of the Treaty in the past 25 years should serve as a model for both countries to settle their maritime disputes. qdnd.vn/chinh-tri/tin-…

The Vietnamese government expressed its "regret" about the US Department of Commerce's decision to not lift Vietnam's ‘Non-Market Economy’ tag. Surely a setback in political trust because Vietnam has pursued this objective for a while.

Vietnam has a new General Secretary of the Communist Party, Tô Lâm. vnexpress.net/chu-tich-nuoc-…

I explain for The Diplomat why the US may regret not lifting Vietnam's non-market economy status. By not doing so, the US undermines the economic pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with implications for security cooperation. thediplomat.com/2024/08/why-th…

In my latest for The Lowy Institute, I explain why Kim Jong-un has made many significant changes to North Korean foreign and domestic policies since January. Kim wants his own legacy as his time of leadership is soon equal to that of his father. lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

On the cusp of General Secretary and President To Lam's visit to China, I had an interview with RFI Tiếng Việt Radio France Internationale on Vietnam's foreign policy under To Lam's tenure. rfi.my/ArsC.X

General Secretary and President To Lam’s China visit is an affirmation of China’s respect for Vietnam’s orderly power transition. China supports Vietnam’s political stability due to concerns over security of its southern border. My latest The Diplomat thediplomat.com/2024/08/with-c…

Fun fact: Vietnam is the oldest surviving communist state in the world, having been established in 1945, 3 years before the DPRK, 4 years before the PRC, 14 years before the Cuban revolution, and 30 years before the Laotian communist takeover. Happy Vietnam’s Independence Day!

2/9/2024 also marks the 55th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's passing. Due to the ongoing war against the US, the Communist Party didn't publish the full text of his will until 1989. In his will, he predicted that the war might take a few more years. vnexpress.net/vi-sao-20-nam-…

This is huge.

The strongest typhoon to have hit Hanoi in my lifetime. nytimes.com/2024/09/07/wor…

Just came across this really detailed map of Vietnam in 1838. French Indochina was not a French creation. It was built on the Nguyen Dynasty's design. Contemporary Vietnam seeing Laos and Cambodia as a single geographical theater of operation is also a legacy of this map.

North Korea recently announced that it will officially resume international tourism activities by the end of 2024, and travel companies in Việt Nam have begun issuing notifications about organising tours to North Korea next year. vietnamnet.vn/en/vietnamese-…

In my latest The Lowy Institute I explain why we need to be skeptical of the claim that the North Korean government is being hollowed out due to an increasing number of elite defectors. Several cases of elite defections will not bring down North Korea. lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

Glad to share that my book chapter on Vietnam-North Korea relations is published by Routledge. Many thanks to the three volume editors as well as my professor. Please buy the book to learn about the history of Southeast Asia-North Korea ties as a whole! taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/…

It felt surreal to introduce myself as a scholar researching Vietnam’s defense and security issues to Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense. Couldn’t hide my happy face 😅