Vietnam and the South China Sea

Do Thanh Hai is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for East Sea Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. He has a PhD from the Australian National University, where he was as a Prime Minister's Australian Asia Endeavour Awardee.

• Introduction Under the Shadow of the Dragon Vietnam’s claims in the South China Sea Befriending with the Dragon, 1986-1995 ASEANizing the South China Sea issue, 1995-2002 Shaping Regional Balance of Influence, 2003-2007 Riding on Nationalism, 2007-2009 Internationalising the South China Sea issue, 2009-2011 Navigating Big Power Politics, 2011-2015 Conclusion

"The work of Do Thanh Hai offers us insights into the contradictory motivations that guide and constrain the Vietnamese leadership. Hai’s account demonstrates that the choices Vietnam makes in its foreign relations can be deeply ideological, and not simply the result of impersonal forces acting on a monolithic state."Bill Hayton, Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, East Asian History and Culture Review, No. 25, December 2017