Strategic Autonomy and Self-Reliance in Vietnam's Foreign Policy After the 14th National Congress – A Comparison with the Strategies of Middle Powers in the Context of Us-China Competition

The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (2026) added two breakthrough perspectives to the foreign policy line: “strategic autonomy” and “self-reliance.” These concepts not only inherit the tradition of “independence and self-reliance” but also represent a new development, consistent with the historical stature, culture, and new position of Vietnam after 40 years of Doi Moi. At the same time, they constitute a proactive response to the increasingly polarized international landscape dominated by US-China strategic competition. The Political Report of the 14th Congress affirms: “Strategic autonomy, self-reliance, self-confidence, and strong progress in the era of the nation’s rise” (Communist Party of Vietnam, 2026, p. 1). The article provides an in-depth analysis of the new connotations of these two concepts through official documents, including the Political Report of the 14th Congress and the guidance document of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2026). Using a comparative approach, the article contrasts Vietnam’s application of “strategic autonomy” with the approaches of India (Strategic Autonomy), Indonesia (Bebas-Aktif), and Turkey in the context of US-China competition. On this basis, the study proposes the Vietnamese Strategic Autonomy Model (VSAM) consisting of four pillars and a Party-led multilateral diplomacy model. Through this model, the article evaluates the adaptability of “bamboo diplomacy” in an increasingly polarized international environment in which middle powers face pressure to choose sides or be drawn into alliance blocs. The research results indicate that although Vietnam’s model demonstrates greater flexibility and resilience than some other cases, it still faces major challenges concerning endogenous capacity, economic-political risks, and technological pressure. The article concludes that strengthening comprehensive self-reliance will determine the practical effectiveness of strategic autonomy in the coming period and proposes the Party-led multilateral diplomacy model as an optimal institutional framework for Vietnam.