United States

China

Vietnam

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam signed cooperation documents covering agriculture, education and railway construction, and China pledged deeper cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and state technology systems, Reuters reported on April 15. 

China, Vietnam: Rail, Digital and Security Deals Deepen Institutional Ties

Vietnam's National Assembly unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as state president and Le Minh Hung as prime minister for the 2026-31 term, AP reported on April 7.

Vietnam: Party and State Leadership Positions Merged

Philippines

Energy

Chinese tankers delivered more than 260,000 barrels of diesel to the Philippines and about 100,000 barrels of distillates to Vietnam on March 28-29, Bloomberg reported on March 29.

China, Philippines, Vietnam: Beijing Sends Needed Fuel as South China Sea Talks Resume

Australia

South Korea

On March 25, Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and South Korea's LS Eco Energy signed a framework agreement to build a rare earth metallization facility in Vietnam, with output to feed downstream magnet production in the United States, Nikkei Asia reported the next day.

Asia-Pacific, U.S.: Newly Announced Metalization Plant Forwards Non-China Rare Earth Supply Chain

Russia

Vietnam and Russia signed an agreement to build the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant in Vietnam, with Russia's Rosatom slated to construct reactors with a total capacity of roughly 2,400 megawatts, Bloomberg reported on March 24.

Vietnam, Russia: Nuclear Energy Deal Formalizes Revival of Long-Stalled Project

Military & Security

Vietnam will adopt a new resolution on preventing and combating corruption, wastefulness and "negative phenomena," state-run Bao Chinh Phu reported on March 2. 

Vietnam: Hanoi To Adopt 'New Mindset' Toward Anti-Corruption

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam at the White House for their first formal in-person talks, Reuters reported on Feb. 20.

Vietnam, U.S.: Washington Vows To Ease Export Restrictions on Hanoi

North Korea

North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un gave a speech on Feb. 20 in Pyongyang to open the Workers' Party of Korea's quinquennial party congress, which North Korea's KCNA said began on Feb. 19.

North Korea: Kim Commences Quinquennial Party Congress

Assessments

A Chinese navy ship (background left) is seen while an Australian navy ship (right) takes part in a maritime cooperative activity with the Philippines and Canada in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sept. 3, 2025.

China, the Philippines and Vietnam's efforts to rebalance coercive activity with diplomatic engagement have temporarily lowered escalation risks, but persistent rivalries ensure long-term volatility.

In the South China Sea, Managed Tension Masks Long-Term Volatility

Canada

Peru

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Hungary

A digital screen displaying news of U.S.-Iran peace talks April 10 in Islamabad. The United States and Iran are set to begin contentious talks April 11 in Islamabad, Pakistan, with disputes over the 10-point proposal as a framework for discussions and major gaps between U.S. and Iranian demands.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Talks, Hungarians Vote

Vietnamese Communist Party general secretary To Lam speaks during the opening session of the National Assembly in Hanoi on April 6, 2026.

The leadership consolidation points to a governing model focused on speed, discipline and execution, albeit with increased risks stemming from reduced internal debate and fewer institutional checks.

Vietnam's Lam Makes History by Assuming Dual Role of Party Leader and President

Djibouti

Taiwan

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

Media

Podcasts

How will election results impact Vietnam's economic growth in the near term?

The Decision Advantage: What To Expect From Vietnam's Leadership Election Results

Indonesia

Japan

The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024 in Washington.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the Trump administration's tariffs imposed under the IEEPA still leaves Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam vulnerable to other trade escalation mechanisms.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam Assess Their U.S. Trade Deals After IEEPA Tariffs

Snapshots

Mexico

Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 20, 2026, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Trump's use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs.

Global Trade

The Trump administration will use other trade authorities to replace many of the IEEPA tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, meaning U.S. trading partners will remain incentivized to engage on trade matters.

What the Supreme Court Tariff Ruling Means for Trump and U.S. Trading Partners

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during a Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cebu City, the Philippines, on Jan. 29, 2026.

The coming year will test ASEAN's ability to maintain unity, manage crises and remain a credible regional forum amid rising internal security risks and a more fractured world order, particularly as the Philippines butts heads with China in the South China Sea.

Previewing the Philippines 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

Palestinian Territories

Slovakia

Ukraine

India

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

A man walks past a billboard for the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam outside the National Convention Center in Hanoi on Jan. 15, 2026. 

The five-yearly event will likely codify a more centralized, security-anchored governing model, while setting ambitious goals for economic growth and administrative reforms, though internal and external pressures will hinder implementation.

Previewing Vietnam's 14th National Party Congress

Greenland

Denmark

France

Switzerland

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Benin

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Madagascar

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

Paraguay

Venezuela

Egypt

Morocco

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

Timor-Leste

Mongolia

Bulgaria

Afghanistan

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Vietnam is located on the easternmost edge of the Indochinese Peninsula, with China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west. Its more than 2,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Gulf of Tonkin, the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. These seas create both direct access to the wider Pacific Ocean and a critical buffer to Vietnam's long and narrow land territory.    Modern Vietnam consists of two geographic and population cores — the Red River Delta in the north, home to the capital of Hanoi, and the Mekong River Delta in the southern lowlands, where Ho Chi Minh City sits.  These cores are separated by over 1,600 miles and connected by a thin and largely mountainous coastal spine, only around 30 miles wide at its narrowest point.    Despite mountains and jungles, the northern Vietnamese core has a long history of invasion by forces from China. This almost continuous pressure from the north in part forced Vietnam's early rulers to expand the country's boundaries, first southward, to the Mekong River Delta, and then westward, into present day Laos and Cambodia.    Historically and today, the natural geographic separation of Vietnam's northern and southern cores has exacerbated the two regions' social, cultural and political divide — leaving the country vulnerable to invasion by foreign powers, whether Chinese, French or American.    Vietnam’s primary geographic challenge is to secure buffer space both on land and sea. Today, Vietnam's need for space and security in the South China Seas pits it against China, also in the throes of maritime expansion, thus adding a new dimension to Vietnam's longstanding struggle to carve space for itself against its larger northern neighbor.  

SITUATION REPORTS

China, Vietnam: Rail, Digital and Security Deals Deepen Institutional Ties

Vietnam: Party and State Leadership Positions Merged

China, Philippines, Vietnam: Beijing Sends Needed Fuel as South China Sea Talks Resume

Asia-Pacific, U.S.: Newly Announced Metalization Plant Forwards Non-China Rare Earth Supply Chain

Vietnam, Russia: Nuclear Energy Deal Formalizes Revival of Long-Stalled Project

Vietnam: Hanoi To Adopt 'New Mindset' Toward Anti-Corruption

Vietnam, U.S.: Washington Vows To Ease Export Restrictions on Hanoi

North Korea: Kim Commences Quinquennial Party Congress

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