The European Union in Vietnam’s Diversification of Security Partners

As ASEAN has experienced disunity over the South China Sea disputes and the strategic competition between China and the United States has intensified, Vietnam finds itself compelled to accelerate its efforts to diversify its security relations. In this context, the European Union (EU) has emerged as an increasingly important security partner for Vietnam, especially with the issuance of the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The EU also possesses the capacity to assist Vietnam in enhancing its security capabilities. A survey of Vietnamese policy elites clearly express their favorable view of the EU as a relevant security actor in the Indo-Pacific, while the government’s perspective, despite being positive, is more subtle. The EU and Vietnam have made good progress in their security cooperation. However, inherent limitations impact the extent of their collaboration. To effectively navigate the opportunities and challenges within this partnership, it is crucial to allocate sufficient resources and maintain political will on both sides.