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Chinese Digital Influence in South East Asia - Vietnam
Updated: Aug 20
Introduction
Executive Summary
This installment in our series on Chinese Digital Influence in Southeast Asia examines Vietnam, a country whose relationship with China is shaped by over two millennia of conquest, cultural exchange, and independence struggles, punctuated by the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. Despite normalized relations since 1991, Vietnam maintains a careful balancing act: pursuing security ties with the U.S., Japan, and South Korea while upholding a policy of assurance toward China to deter coercion.
China's digital influence campaign relies on state media (CGTN, Xinhua, China Radio International) promoting narratives of shared heritage and cooperation, at times spreading misleading COVID-19 origin claims. Notably, our research uncovered a coordinated inauthentic network of thousands of accounts on X, created to amplify pro-China messaging around Xi Jinping's December 2023 visit to Vietnam. China's influence also extends to diplomatic training, cyber activity, and economic leverage as Vietnam's top trading partner, ranking 43rd on the Doublethink Lab China Index for 2021.
