Tô Lâm Touches Down in Canberra and Wellington
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm arrived in Australia and New Zealand this week at the head of a high-level delegation of ministers. According to inkl, the itinerary marks the first official visit by a general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to both nations since 2009.
Asserting Vietnam’s Influence in the Indo-Pacific
Since assuming the role of Vietnam’s top leader in August 2024 and later taking on the presidency, Tô Lâm has pursued an active foreign policy agenda as a rising middle power in the Indo-Pacific region, inkl reports. Regional coverage traces his extensive itinerary over the past year through Russia, the United Kingdom, both Koreas, China, India, and the United States, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Cementing this international posture during his recent address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Lâm issued a warning that the international order risks moving toward a dynamic where a “big fish” swallows the “small fish.”
Rebranding the Global Diaspora as a Development Engine
Large Vietnamese populations residing in Australia and New Zealand occupy a central place on the agenda for this week’s meetings. Last week, the Communist Party of Vietnam convened its biennial diplomatic conference, adopting a formal resolution that redefines the overseas community—known as the Việt kiều—as a “strategic national resource” to support national growth. Under this updated framework, Hanoi aims to leverage overseas communities to help achieve its domestic targets of attaining high-income status by 2045 and becoming a highly developed socialist nation by 2130, according to inkl.
Navigating Complex Communities and Historical Divides
Tô Lâm’s visit to Australia serves as an initial test for this newly adopted engagement policy. Official estimates cited by inkl place the Vietnamese heritage population in Australia at approximately 350,000 residents alongside 35,000 students, while New Zealand is home to an estimated 14,000 individuals of Vietnamese descent. While these populations present potential for economic engagement, technology transfers, and remittances, deep-rooted political divides persist. Half a century after the conclusion of the Vietnam War, many established community members remain skeptical of one-party rule, while younger, more nationalistic students increasingly express support for the current government.
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