As much as it would be emotionally satisfying to see Vietnam to tell the US to fuck off, kissing ass and getting more investment is objectively the best route. The secret sauce of Dengism wasn’t the introduction of markets, it was foreign capital investment. If the West never pumped so much capital into China in the last few decades, China would not be nearly as economically successful. The West built China’s industrial capacity for them. That’s why Stalin had to push agricultural productivity so hard, no other way to develop industry than reinvesting that agricultural surplus when the rest of the world locks you out of investment.
That said, the US empire isn’t completely oblivious and all that investment China got came with a pretty hefty price tag. Specifically, becoming the US empire’s partner whenever they came calling: siding against the USSR, invading Vietnam and supporting Pol Pot, all that. Dealing with the US is like dealing with Don Corleone. Here, take all this investment money, it’s yours. Then maybe in the future, you may be called upon for a favor. US is absolutely expecting to rope Vietnam into siding with them against China and if they don’t the US is gonna snap back hard at Vietnam. But hey, until that happens, get that bread Vietnam.
As much as it would be emotionally satisfying to see Vietnam to tell the US to fuck off, kissing ass and getting more investment is objectively the best route. The secret sauce of Dengism wasn’t the introduction of markets, it was foreign capital investment. If the West never pumped so much capital into China in the last few decades, China would not be nearly as economically successful. The West built China’s industrial capacity for them. That’s why Stalin had to push agricultural productivity so hard, no other way to develop industry than reinvesting that agricultural surplus when the rest of the world locks you out of investment.
That said, the US empire isn’t completely oblivious and all that investment China got came with a pretty hefty price tag. Specifically, becoming the US empire’s partner whenever they came calling: siding against the USSR, invading Vietnam and supporting Pol Pot, all that. Dealing with the US is like dealing with Don Corleone. Here, take all this investment money, it’s yours. Then maybe in the future, you may be called upon for a favor. US is absolutely expecting to rope Vietnam into siding with them against China and if they don’t the US is gonna snap back hard at Vietnam. But hey, until that happens, get that bread Vietnam.