Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Vietnam in World Affairs, 2020-
2021
Carlyle A. Thayer
December 6, 2020

Tran Trang, Transportation Newspaper, special edition:

Firstly, I would like to thank you for sharing information and knowledge.
As you know, 2020 is a year of challenge and change for the world because of global
epidemic diseases. However, for Vietnam, this is a year of opportunities, in which
Hanoi has upgraded to a new position, gained in confidence in the region and over
the world. 
With your deep knowledge of Vietnam, I hope you are willing to share your
assessments with me and my newspaper's viewers about Vietnam's position in 2020
and the challenges that Hanoi must cope with in 2021.
The interview content is below:
Q1. How did Vietnam’s position in South East Asia and over the world change in
2020? 
ANSWER: In 2020, Vietnam assumed the role of ASEAN Chair. Vietnam’s leadership
role in developing a regional response to the coronavirus pandemic increased its
prestige regionally and internationally, especially among its dialogue partners.
Also in 2020, Vietnam became a non-permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council for the second time. This reflects the unanimous support by the
Asian bloc at the UN and a commanding majority of support by members of the UN
General Assembly.
Q2. Would you share your comments about Vietnam’s active position as a ASEAN
2020 Chair and a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United
Nations? 
ANSWER: As ASEAN Chair, Vietnam proactively demonstrated exceptional leadership
in four areas. First, Vietnam unified ASEAN member states around a regional
response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Second, Vietnam forged
consensus on neutrality and centrality of ASEAN members amidst great power
rivalry. On the 53rd anniversary of ASEAN its foreign ministers issued a Statement on
the Importance of Maintaining Peace and Stability in Southeast Asia. Third, Vietnam
successfully managed the completion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership. Fourth, Vietnam strengthened ASEAN’s declaratory policy on the South
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China Sea by re-emphasizing the importance of international law including the UN

Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council Vietnam strongly supported
three building-blocks of global security: a commitment to multilateralism centred on
the United Nations; an enhanced role for regional organisation, such as ASEAN, and
expanded collaboration by ASEAN with the UN and the Security Council; and
adherence by all states to the fundamental principles of international law and the
UN Charter.
As ASEAN Chair, Vietnam hosted the 11th ASEAN-UN Summit.
Q3. Would you share your assessments about Vietnam’s policy in hot issues such as
Covid-19, South China Seas dispute… 
ANSWER: When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and spread to Southeast Asia,
Vietnam had to rapidly shift from ASEAN’s business-as-usual agenda, to a priority
focus on organising a regional response to the coronavirus. Vietnam pioneered the
use of video conferencing to bring ASEAN health officials and other key government
leaders together virtually. Vietnam postponed the 36 th ASEAN Summit and organised
a Special Summit on COVID-19. Vietnam showed initiative in turning to its dialogue
partners for assistance by holding high-level meetings of the ASEAN Plus 3 (China,
Japan and South Korea) and well as bilateral meetings with other dialogue partners
such as the United States. Vietnam’s success in leading ASEAN’s response to COVID-
19 was due in no small part to Vietnam’s successful efforts domestically to counter
the coronavirus.
A month before Vietnam became ASEAN Chair, Malaysia tabled a Note Verbale to
the UN Commission on the Limits to the Continental Shelf rejecting the legal basis for
China’s claims over the South China Seas. This led to a cascade of Note Verbales from
the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, United States, Australia and jointly by France-
Germany-United Kingdom during 2020. Vietnam was able to strengthen ASEAN’s
declaratory policy on the South China Sea by incorporating this convergence of views
on the fundamental importance of UNCLOS.
Q4. Do you have any prediction about Vietnam’s diplomacy challenges in 2021?
ANSWER: Vietnam will face at least five major diplomatic challenges in 2020. The
first challenge is the management of post-COVID-19 recovery particularly the Gavi
Alliance Initiative to see that there is equitable access to coronavirus vaccines for
Vietnam and other Southeast Asian states. The second challenge is to implement
obligations in three major free trade agreements (FTA) – the Comprehensive and
Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Europe-Vietnam FTA and the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership – at a time of protectionism and when global
supply chains have been disrupted. The third diplomatic challenge is to promote
sustainable development in the Lower Mekong by developing greater synergy among
the many multilateral mechanisms now underway to avoid overlap and competition
among donor states. The fifth and sixth diplomatic challenges are inter-related.
Vietnam’s new leadership must quickly establish working relationships with China
and the Biden Administration in the United States to ensure that the South China Sea
remains a region of peace, cooperation and development.
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Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam in World Affairs, 2020-2021,” Thayer

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