A Navy Aircraft Carrier Will Visit Vietnam (in the next several weeks)

Vietnam is not China indeed, except a lot of common traits like Confusianism, the value of family and corruption.
In business, the Vietnamese are much less trustworthy than the Chinese, even they prefer to do deal with the Chinese or any other foreigner than with their own nationals.
Communism has push them back for decades, they are only now playing catching up with the Chicoms. They keep the same ideology as China’s so it’s hard to see how they would become anything other than a Chinese economic satellite.

I may not get it, but I really do not see the Vietnamese as playing Chicoms (jr).

They have a lot of spirit. They can carry grudges just like anyone. They are remarkably accepting of foreigners. Remarkably so.

But they do not want to play “we’re Chinese jrs”.

I just don’t see that happening. Nope. Not at all.

“But they do not want to play “we’re Chinese jrs”.”

Vietnam was virtually a Chinese province for centuries up until colonisation by the French. Had the French Jesuits not latinised the writing, the Vietnamese would still write in Chinese ideograms (which can still be found everywhere in Vietnam, especially in Budhist temples).

Of course the Vietnamese don’t want to be “Chinese Juniors”, they were 1000 years under the Chinese rules and end up booting the Chinese out (like they booted out the French and the Americans), it tells something about their fighting spirit. Those are tough cookies.
But “not wanting” is wishfull thinking, they can’t avoid the heavy Chinese influence, culturally and economically.
Culturally, Vietnam and China are very similar because of 1000 years of Chinese rules, generations of population mixing, the same Budhist religion, the same family cult, etc... The Vietnamese crave for the Chinese films, especially the war sagas made in Hong Kong, there are good reasons to it.
Economically because of the uber powerfull and totally integrated Chinese diaspora (just like in Malaysia or Thailand or the Philippines or Indonesia which would be economic backwaters without the Chinese diaspora). Without very high levels of IQ and innovation like Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, and Vietnam has not proven capable of that, I don’t see how the the Vietnamese can escape the economic grasp of the Chinese.

I don’t know.

I’ve seen the amount of independence in Vietnam, regarding China.

It is unlike in Thailand, or Cambodia. Nope. Vietnam is not a Chinese vassal state. I do not think they will be brought into a Chinese orbit. In a way, it is part of the overall openness of Vietnam to other countries.

I think they do not want to be a Chinese junior partner. And I think they have proved that, repeatedly. Nope, Vietnam is a very interesting place.

Could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

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