Amid the drumbeat of war and conflict, it’s easy to overlook more subtle geopolitical shifts. One such shift occurred in November, when Vietnam elevated its partnerships with Algeria, Kuwait, and South Africa following visits by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the three countries. At first glance, this may seem like a nothingburger: After all, Hanoi has been upgrading partnerships with various countries and maintains many such partnerships around the world.

However, Vietnam’s latest moves are different due to the current geopolitical climate and Hanoi’s changing foreign-policy priorities. For one, it seeks to lessen its overdependence on economic and security collaboration with China and the United States. And next month, the Communist Party of Vietnam will hold its quinquennial national congress to determine potential changes to the national leadership and approve plans for all areas of statecraft over the next five years. On foreign policy, the party has adopted a new slogan—“core, frequent”—to describe the critical role of diplomacy in continuously advancing Vietnam’s interests as a rising middle power. Put another way, Vietnam’s national security greatly and perhaps existentially depends on effective diplomacy, especially as intensifying U.S.-China competition threatens to destabilize the region and endanger Hanoi’s national interests.

Amid the drumbeat of war and conflict, it’s easy to overlook more subtle geopolitical shifts. One such shift occurred in November, when Vietnam elevated its partnerships with Algeria, Kuwait, and South Africa following visits by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the three countries. At first glance, this may seem like a nothingburger: After all, Hanoi has been upgrading partnerships with various countries and maintains many such partnerships around the world.

However, Vietnam’s latest moves are different due to the current geopolitical climate and Hanoi’s changing foreign-policy priorities. For one, it seeks to lessen its overdependence on economic and security collaboration with China........

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