Vietnamese leader's ‘pragmatism' is old wine in new bottles

South China Morning Post

11-05-2025

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I refer to the op-ed, 'To Lam – the pragmatic leader putting Vietnam on the geostrategic map (
May 6 )'. Depicting the Communist Party of Vietnam's general secretary as a pragmatic statesman risks mistaking optics for strategy. In reality, Lam's early leadership reflects not bold recalibration, but a reactive approach to diplomacy shaped by external pressures and internal constraints.
First, while To Lam may be a 'pragmatist', exaggerating this trait obscures the reality that his diplomacy remains largely ceremonial and defensive, not transformational. He has neither redefined Vietnam's long-standing '
bamboo diplomacy ' nor introduced new strategic thinking. Instead, he has inherited a tradition of careful hedging, now increasingly out of sync with a polarised international order. His foreign policy remains consistent with Vietnam's institutional norms and shows no evidence of personal vision.
Second, the article overlooks the strategic shift unleashed by Donald Trump's re-election as US president. Lam's
three-day visit to Beijing last August, taken shortly during his brief presidential term, and his meeting with then US president
Joe Biden last September in New York followed an outdated script.
However, with Trump back in power and
threatening tariffs of up to 46 per cent, Vietnam has found itself in a
vulnerable position . President
Xi Jinping 's visit to Hanoi, less than two weeks after Trump's
tariff escalation , was less about Vietnam's geopolitical ascent than China's attempt to prevent it from sliding towards Washington. Meanwhile, Lam's visit to Russia for its Victory Day parade and French President Emmanuel Macron's planned visit to Vietnam offer little strategic substance.
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Third, Lam's internal base remains brittle. Vietnam's young people are disengaged and increasingly outward-looking. Lingering political apathy and outward emigration reflect a system more concerned with control than consensus. A nation cannot sustain foreign ambitions disconnected from domestic renewal.