LOOKING BACK ON THE AUSTRALIA - VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF ASIAN CENTURY

Abstract

Vietnam and Australia are both middle powers actively contributing to the strategy of adapting to China's rise in Southeast Asia. In particular, Australia has continuously taken advantage of and created opportunities, including the first aid packages right after the end of the Vietnam War—initiatives to contribute to solving the Cambodian problem in Vietnam-ASEAN relations. After the prosperity in economic ties between Australia and Vietnam after the Cold War, the historical method and the systematic method are the popular international relations research methods used in previous studies in Vietnam and Australia; the article shows that the convergence of values, needs and interests between Australia and Vietnam in the 21st Century is the driving force to promote bilateral cooperation based on equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefits. Finally, the paper may become a valuable source of interpretation for the nature of the similarity in strategy to adapt to China's rise.