Reposted from The Diplomat
By Le Dinh Tinh

The Vietnam “story” has changed over time. First, it was a war story; then Vietnam “became a country” in the run-up to the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations in 1995. Now the country is moving forward with a new narrative, a strategy of active and proactive international integration.

Now, the country’s top foreign policy makers have decided it’s time for Vietnam to fully launch itself into the international arena. In a conversation with the Council on Foreign Relations last year, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said: “This was a turning point in our foreign policy, because before we focused on economic integration, but now we also integrate in all areas such as not only economic but politics, diplomacy, security, defense, culture and social effects.” More…