Silent Lonesome Man

No, we are not talking about the recent 2022 World Cup qualification between two countries in the detail. And we do not talk about soccer (football) either. We are talking about politics. Two nations, one in West Asia, one in Southeast Asia. Both have nothing in common because of geography apart, they are also differed in religious nature. For the last 1,000 years, nothing has changed. But within the recent frameworks, one can conclude that they are closer than we thought of. These are the stories of two entities: Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, both far apart, yet ironically drawn together due to somehow, American interests. And this is a unique case that need to be examined - or, to be frank, why would Vietnam aim to be like Saudi Arabia? Saudi-American relations To go forth, we have to begin with the relationship between the Middle Eastern Kingdom and the States. The United States had little to none of interests toward the Saudis when the Kingdom was announced in 1932, the same year Saudi...

On 29 May 2013, in the port city of Cam Ranh, the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces issued its declaration, establishing the country's first-ever submarine force. The submarine force Vietnam established was part of the country's ongoing modernisation effort, to catch up with its Southeast Asian neighbours that have the same force earlier, and also to deal with the much stronger Chinese submarine force. But while the submarine force was established in 2013, it was not until 15 January 2014, that Vietnam officially received the first submarine. A Kilo-class made. The Kilo class submarine was built by none other but Russia, the country that Vietnam has a good, old relationship. Vietnam bought the submarine squad in 2009 as part of their contract with Rosoboronoexport, and its future sailors were educated by the Russians. It succeeded just that. By that time, Vietnam had yet to get American lethal arms, due to weapon embargo imposed on her following the Vietnam War. Fast forwar...

As the war in Ukraine unfolded, the situation became increasingly precarious and tense. For this reason, we are also seeing a massive wave of uncertain, divided sentiment among Vietnamese population. That division definitely helped by the fact that, as globalisation grows, so do are the public perceptions. And yet this division is something that would surprise me the most. Probably, this is the biggest and most important change ever occur among Vietnamese society, a society formerly closed off to the world. While it is fair to say the change won't accelerate quickly, it is a good sign for Vietnamese people to stand up with what it believed to be, the truth. So, what are we getting here now? Within the Communist Party, the power lies entirely on the conservative, pro-Russian personnel. That was due to their education, previously occurred in the Soviet Union, played a significant role on how they run their regime. Communist Party that rules Vietnam today bears its attitude from the S...

On 17 February 2022, VTC News, a state-controlled media outlet, like the rest of Vietnamese government-controlled media in the communist country, broadcasted a number of veterans about the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979. These veterans were among the most vocal, having condemned China in this war and urged for the state to finally speak out toward this war and referring its enemy directly - China, again and again. They also warn the government to be careful about the northern neighbour. But these narratives were just a recent development. Until 2014, these narratives were often unheard and there had been censorship, even political repercussions, toward people mentioning it. Seven years later, elaborative efforts finally gave the voices of the war to the light, but it is not sure when will it be talked directly - because it is related to one problem: the government. The 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War was a war where China began launching invasions against Vietnam as a response to Vietnamese topp...

This was one of the many images captured from the Mỹ Đình National Stadium, the largest sporting facility in entire Vietnam. You may see this was a football (or soccer) action on the field, yes, the match between Vietnam and Australia during the campaign for Qatar 2022. But, if you keep your eyes closer to the field, you may have to doubt this. I'm talking about Vietnam's widespread state corruption. The Mỹ Đình facilities were built in 2001 as an attempt to refurbish Vietnam's image on its path of economic reintegration following decades of isolation and international sanctions due to the war in Cambodia. And why it was built? Simply, for the 2003 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, by that time the largest sporting event had ever been hosted in the country. There were hopes that Vietnam could be guaranteed a special place for future international competitions in case of any football games scheduled here. The 2003 SEA Games finally broke the barrier and gave the Vietnamese people...