Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

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Vietnam Turns 75:
Milestones Since 1995
Carlyle A. Thayer
August 25, 2020

We request your assessment of the major milestones in Vietnam's diplomacy and

defense since 1995.
ANSWER: On 2 September the Socialist Republic of Vietnam will celebrate its 75th
National Day. This article focuses on major milestones reached in diplomacy and
defence since 1995, a pivotal year in Vietnam’s development. In 1995 Vietnam
normalised its relations with the United States and became the sixth member of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Diplomacy
In the 1990s Vietnam set itself the objective of ‘diversifying and multilateralising’ its
foreign relations and proactively integrating with the world economy. Using these
objectives as a benchmark, Vietnam achieved six major diplomatic milestones. First,
Vietnam became a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in
November 1998. Second, Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organisation
in November 2006. Third, Vietnam was elected a non-permanent member of the
United Nations Security Council for the first time for the 2008-09 period. Fourth, in
February 2019, Hanoi was selected as the venue for the second summit meeting
between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. Fifth, Vietnam was
elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the second time for
the 2020-21 period. Sixth, Vietnam as ASEAN Chair 2020 responded to COVID-19 by
demonstrating decisive leadership in re-orientating ASEAN to combat this threat to
public health in Southeast Asia.
Defence
Vietnam reached three major milestones in defence by modernizing its armed forces
and contributing to global security. The first milestone was reached a decade after the
decision was made in 2006 to modernize Vietnam’s navy and air defence-air force.
During this period Vietnam acquired Gepard-class frigates, Molniya-class guided
missile Fast Attack Craft, six Varshavyanka-class diesel submarines, and Sukhoi Su-27
and Su-30 jet aircraft.
The second milestone was reached in 2008 when Vietnam’s Maritime Police were
upgraded to an armed service and renamed Vietnam Coast Guard with responsibility
for maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and sovereignty protection in the
East Sea.
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The third milestone was reached in 2018 when Vietnam substantially upgraded its
commitment to United Nations peacekeeping by deploying army medical staff to a
Level II Field Hospital in the South Sudan.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam Turns 75: Milestones Since 1995,”
Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, August 19, 2020. All background briefs are
posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the mailing list
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.