A Trilateral Approach: Community-based Europe, Việt Nam, and ASEAN. From Strategic Dilemma to Đổi Mới Apotheosis (1976-1995)

Based on French archives of the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs and European historical archives, this study focuses on links between community-based Europe, Việt Nam, and ASEAN. Việt Nam had a key role in the EU and ASEAN communitarization, from creating mechanisms to reinforcing approaches to political cohesion to face Việt Nam's issues (migration management, Cambodian conflict, Việt Nam's opening). In these processes, beyond European Economic Community support of ASEAN diplomatic engagements, many dissensions were observed inside the community-based organs. The EEC had to preserve its particular status in South East Asia, deepen relations with ASEAN, and maintain dialogue with Việt Nam while condemning Vietnamese regional policy and ensuring its development assistance diplomacy. For ASEAN, the challenge was to pursue its opening toward Europe, develop interregional economic relations, and claim itself as a leader to resolve the regional doldrums. Between these two regional organizations, Việt Nam tried to adopt a complex strategy: to sanctuarize its national security and also to keep extremely limited room for maneuver with both ASEAN and the EEC. Việt Nam attempted on the one hand to maintain a bilateral dialogue or through internationalorganizations with ASEAN member states, and in another hand, to request European aid as an ultimate exchange channel. The diplomatic game of Go ended thanks to Đổi Mới. This paradigm shift opened a new era where several ASEAN and EU memberstates allowed Việt Nam to be reintegrated into international relations. The diplomatic effervescence created new opportunities for Hà Nội which tended to increase profoundly its relations with the EU and to integrate ASEAN.