The evolution of international studies in Vietnam: a journey of ideas

This article examines how international ideas travelled to Vietnam, and it assesses the current state of international studies within the country. Vietnam’s initial encounters with the West date back to the sixteenth century when European missionaries first arrived. However, it was during the period of French colonization that numerous international concepts found their way to Vietnam, either directly or indirectly. Vietnamese patriots, notably figures like Ho Chi Minh, played a critical role in introducing and employing these international ideas in the struggle for Vietnam’s independence. This eventually laid the foundation for modern Vietnam’s foreign policy as well as the development of international studies in the country. After years of vicissitudes, through colonization, anti-imperial warfare, national unification, the Cold War era, to the transformative Đổi Mới reform era, international studies (IS) and international relations (IR) in Vietnam have gained significant momentum. The gradual acceptance of Western IS/IR is noticeable, as a result of Vietnam’s deepening integration into the international community. Despite these recent promising developments, IS or IR has not yet evolved into a full-fledged discipline in Vietnam.