Vietnam between China & the United States (1950-1995)

Vietnam is a tragic land, which has witnessed three successive wars since it won independence in 1945. The purpose of this dissertation is to seek answers to the question of why so many tragedies struck the Vietnamese people, and in particular to examine the contribution made by Sino-American competition to this tragic history. Analysing the IMPACT of Sino-American relations on Chinese and American policies towards Vietnam, the study finds that Vietnam never was the primary subject of American foreign policy, though America was deeply involved in Vietnam during the twenty-five years between 1950 and 1975. Washington’s Vietnam policy was largely based on its perception of China. Likewise, Beijing’s policy towards Vietnam was greatly affected by the state of its relations with Washington. Vietnam was a victim of their confrontation. The analysis shows that the increase in American involvement during the last stage of the first Vietnam War and the start of the second Vietnam War was due to enmity between China and the United States. US neglect was a result of Sino-American rapprochement while US isolation of Vietnam resulted from Sino-American strategic co-operation. Though the third Vietnam War was a consequence of Sino-Soviet competition, Washington also indirectly encouraged Beijing to be tough with Vietnam, as it needed Chinese support in its relations with Moscow. Analysing changes in Chinese and American polices towards Vietnam, the study observes that when a small state is caught in an intra-power struggle, bug powers will always try to use the small state as a tool in their rivalry. The main lesson for small states is to avoid being caught in such big-power competition. Politicians in small states should also avoid taking sides with big powers lest this create opportunities for big power interference and draw the small state into big power competition. This needs the political acumen and flexibility to distinguish national interest from self-interest