Vietnam has travelled a long way since 1995. The opening up of the country has resulted in the betterment of security and development goals, and a bigger international role. Vietnam could not have earned the credit without a principled but realistic, firm but flexible, and proactive foreign policy. From being an isolated country, today Vietnam has diplomatic relations with 189/193 members of the United Nations, and 30 comprehensive and strategic partners and is member of various regional and international organizations such as ASEAN, APEC, WTO, UN as well as important treaties and agreements with recent examples being the CPTPP and EVFTA). In 2020, Vietnam is Chair of ASEAN and sits on the UNSC (2020-2021 term). Why and how Vietnam is able to arrive at those milestones are the questions of great interest to the international audience.
About the Speaker:
Le Dinh TINH is currently Director General, Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies – Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV). Previously, he was Deputy Director General at the Bien Dong Institute for Maritime Studies. During 2013-2017, he was Political Counselor at the Embassy of Viet Nam in Washington DC. Before 2011, he also held other positions such as Deputy Director General of the Department of Policy Planning and Deputy Chief of the Cabinet – Viet Nam Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With a focus on Viet Nam foreign policy and Asia-Pacific security, his various publications have appeared on the Diplomat, Global Asia, East Asia Forum, Perspective- ISEAS, RSIS, CSIS, Asia-Pacific Bulletin, the World Today-Chatham House, Maritime Issues, Interpreter, Southeast Asian Affairs, Russian Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Routledge… and domestic publishing houses. A frequent commentator on domestic and international media, he also speaks at policy fora in and beyond the country. He obtained his Ph.D from DAV, MPA from the University of Hawaii, was a degree fellow at the East West Center (funded by the ADB) during 2002-2004, and attended multiple training courses organized by the Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation and PISA-George Washington University from 2000-2005.