The Role of the Vietnamese Armed Forces in the Southeast Asian Security Equation

Geographically bordering the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China), Laos and Cambodia, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country with a population of 96 million according to 2019 data. In 1955, the country was divided into two parts, North and South Vietnam, which were reunited in 1976 and became a single state. Throughout its history, Vietnam has had to struggle against states superior to it in terms of military power, and suffered the greatest devastation in the second half of the twentieth century. During this period, it was severely damaged and worn out, first in its struggle with France and then with the United States of America (USA). Subsequently, Vietnam has recovered from the wounds of the war and has become an important actor contributing to regional and global security. In this regard, it actively participates in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and seeks to develop military cooperation with states in various geographies of the world, especially in the region. It participates in various agreements and initiatives on the fight against weapons of mass destruction and shares experiences with the international community in this regard. From time to time, it has disagreements with the People's Republic of China over disputed islands and the exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which can lead to tensions between the two countries. This study aims to examine the role of the Vietnamese Armed Forces, or the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), in southeast Asia.

Located in a geography that powerful states have been interested in and tried to occupy in the historical process, the Vietnamese people have been subjected to many attacks, which can also be expressed as colonialism today. Some of these attacks that Vietnam was exposed to were carried out by China in 179 BC-AD 905, 938, 981, 1075-1077, 1258, 1285, 1288, 1407-1427, 1789, 1974, 1979, 1988, France between 1858-1945, 1946-1954, Japan between 1940-1945 and the USA between 1955-1975. It also fought a war with Cambodia in 1975 as a result of the problems it had with this country and the war resulted in the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. After a chain of intense wars, Vietnam entered a process of reconstruction and the reconstruction of the state with all its institutions came to the agenda. Due to the subjectivity of the study, only the contributions of the Vietnamese Armed Forces to international peace and security will be analyzed here.