Why is it impossible for Viet Nam to be an enemy of China? How aggrieved is Viet Nam's geography?
Viet Nam's "fate"
Do you know? Viet Nam is a country that is geographically destined to be difficult to be an enemy of China.
(Viet Nam Army)
Viet Nam is a long country with a long north and south border, and its borders with neighboring countries are thousands of kilometers long! This makes it a matter of heaven for Viet Nam to defend its territory in times of war. Even if the manpower and material resources of the whole country are mobilized, it is difficult to hold such a long national border. In the 1979 self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, we quickly broke through Viet Nam's defense line with the "pincer offensive".
(Viet Nam Port)
Moreover, the extent of Viet Nam's territorial waters is also very limited. With several small islands along its coastline, Viet Nam's territorial waters are limited to 12 nautical miles, completely inferior to China's expanding momentum in the far reaches of the South China Sea and East China Sea. It also makes it difficult for Viet Nam fishermen to open outside their nominal jurisdiction.
It can be said that Viet Nam's geopolitical conditions, whether by land or sea, doom it to be difficult to independently confront China. In addition, Viet Nam has been used as a pawn by various major powers many times in its history and has almost become a colony. Therefore, we can say that from a geopolitical point of view, Viet Nam is destined to become an enemy of China.
(Viet Nam Land Reclamation Project)
Interestingly, though, this also allowed Viet Nam to survive the war. For example, during the Korean War in 1950, the U.S. military planned to carry out an "Inchon landing"-style campaign against Viet Nam, but China prevented it. This undoubtedly saved Viet Nam from disaster.
In general, Viet Nam's geographical location dooms it to be difficult to stand alone, but it also brings it some special "shelter". In the face of this situation, I think Viet Nam should cherish it, avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, and carefully choose its own diplomatic route, which is the wisest choice. After all, history always punishes those who don't know how to be flexible.
Viet Nam's geographical advantage: seeking balanced development
Although Viet Nam's geographical location dooms it to be difficult to confront a powerful China, this does not mean that Viet Nam is destined to follow passively all the time. On the contrary, Viet Nam's wisest choice is to seek balanced development between China and the United States by skillfully using its own geographical advantages.
As a small country in southern China, Viet Nam can take full advantage of its special geographical location and play the role of mediator between the two great powers. On the one hand, it can consolidate its own social stability by actively developing relations with China and gaining China's support and assistance. On the other hand, it can strategically maintain a certain degree of cooperation with the United States and other Western countries, obtain economic and technical assistance from them, and promote its own modernization process.
It is precisely with this balanced diplomacy that Viet Nam has gradually shaken off the haze of war and achieved rapid economic development over the past few decades. Viet Nam cities, represented by Ho Chi Minh City, have become attractive investment destinations in Southeast Asia, with great progress in infrastructure construction and consumer markets.
(Viet Nam Expressway Construction)
At the same time, Viet Nam is also good at making use of its unique geographical advantages to develop foreign economic cooperation. For example, we will give full play to the advantages of the long and narrow coastline, vigorously develop the port and maritime industry, and become one of the important logistics centers in the ASEAN region. Another example is relying on the land borders with Laos, Cambodia and other countries to develop cross-border trade and bring economic development opportunities to inland areas.
It can be said that Viet Nam is gradually learning to use its own geographical advantages to seek its own maximum interests in the Sino-US game. It no longer passively accepts the fate of a great power, as it did in the past, but actively seeks a path of balanced development. This is not only conducive to Viet Nam's own prosperity and stability, but also injects new impetus into regional peace and development.
Of course, this line of balanced diplomacy has not been smooth sailing. Viet Nam has also occasionally had friction with neighboring countries over territorial disputes, which requires it to strengthen its diplomatic skills and seek a more flexible response. However, as long as Viet Nam can continue to maintain a clear mind and make good use of its geographical advantages, I believe that it will be able to play a more important role in the international arena in the future.
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