“The growth of BRICS is a major change in the structure of the global economy. It shows that the Global South is becoming stronger and is challenging the traditional dominance of the West in a world that is becoming more multipolar.”
Dr. Kishore Mahbubani is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore and was the UN Security Council’s President.
Vietnam’s partnership with BRICS in June 2025 is more than just a diplomatic shift; it shows a major change in the balance of power in the world that I have seen happening over the course of my career in international relations. This strategic choice, which Thailand and Malaysia have also made, shows how middle powers are becoming more independent in a world that is becoming more multipolar.
Having seen the complicated negotiations that go into modern diplomatic relationships, I see Vietnam’s BRICS partnership as a masterclass in how to not align with anyone. The timing, execution, and larger effects of this decision show that the diplomats made smart choices that need to be looked at closely, especially in light of how major powers are changing and how global economic institutions are being reorganised.
The Geopolitical Architecture of BRICS Expansion: The New Diplomatic Paradigm from Bilateral to Multilateral
The fact that BRICS has grown from five members to a coalition of twenty countries shows a major change in how countries work together on a global scale. This change is a sign of what diplomats call the rise of “minilateral diplomacy,” which is a middle ground between strict bilateral relationships and unwieldy multilateral institutions.
Vietnam joins Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan as a partner country in this framework. Together, these countries make up 44% of the world’s GDP (measured by purchasing power parity) and 56% of the world’s population. These numbers are impressive, but they only tell part of the story. The real importance of BRICS is that it is an institutional architecture that allows South-South cooperation to happen outside of traditional Western-dominated structures.
We can’t stress enough how this expansion will affect diplomacy. In the past, building coalitions often meant working with either the US or China. BRICS gives countries a third option: they can stay independent while still taking part in economic and political projects with other countries. This is a return to the Non-Aligned Movement’s original ideas, but they have been changed to fit the way things are now in the world.
The Four No’s Framework: Vietnam’s Strategic Calculation
Vietnam’s choice to join BRICS shows that they have a deep understanding of modern diplomacy. This is based on their “Four No’s” policy, which says that Vietnam will not:
- Form military alliances
- Take sides with one country against another
- Allow foreign military bases on its territory
- Use force in international relations
More and more middle powers are using this framework as a nuanced way to gain strategic autonomy.
The diplomatic grace of this method comes from how adaptable it is. Vietnam has made itself a bridge between different systems and ideologies instead of being forced to choose between two competing powers. This position lets Hanoi keep strong economic ties with the US while also working more closely with China and the other BRICS members.
I’ve seen similar diplomatic strategies work in other situations, and I’ve found that non-alignment needs three important things to work: a diverse economy, flexible institutions, and strategic patience. Vietnam’s way of doing things shows all three. The country has expanded its economic ties beyond traditional Western markets, kept its institutional commitments flexible, and shown patience in building long-term strategic relationships.
Economic Diplomacy and Strategy for Development
The Model of the Socialist Market Economy
Vietnam’s joining BRICS is more than just a way to position itself geopolitically; it’s also a sign of a successful development model that goes against traditional Western economic ideas. The Vietnamese leaders call their system the “socialist market economy.” The fact that the country’s GDP per capita in purchasing power parity terms is now $17,500 and life expectancy has gone up from 55 years in 1974 to 75 years in 2023 shows that it works.
This model, which mixes market forces with government-directed growth, is a third option to both pure market capitalism and centralised planning. The diplomatic effects are big: Vietnam’s success shows other developing countries how to modernise their economies while keeping political stability and social cohesion.
The BRICS platform gives Vietnam access to other ways to get money, especially through the New Development Bank, which gives money for infrastructure projects without the usual conditions that come with Western banks. This access to patient capital fits with Vietnam’s long-term development plan and makes the country less reliant on traditional Western financial markets.
Economic Resilience and Trade Diversification
Vietnam’s partnership with BRICS comes at a time when trade tensions between the US and China are rising. This gives Vietnamese diplomacy both problems and chances. The previous U.S. administration put 46% tariffs on Vietnamese exports, which showed how risky it is to rely too much on one market, no matter what the political situation is.
As a member of BRICS, Vietnam can take part in a $26 trillion economy that has a lot of chances for trade diversification. The group’s focus on trading in local currencies and using other payment methods makes it less likely that they will have to deal with transactions in dollars and protects them from Western financial sanctions.
| Economic Indicator | Vietnam | BRICS Average | G7 Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP Growth Rate | 6.8% | 5.2% | 2.1% |
| Trade Volume (in trillions of US dollars) | 0.75 | 8.9 | 12.3 |
| Foreign Reserves (in billions of US dollars) | 108 | 847 | 1,234 |
| Infrastructure Investment | 8.2% of GDP | 6.8% of GDP | 3.4% of GDP |
These numbers show that Vietnam has a strong economy and could help make BRICS stronger as a whole. The country’s focus on investing in infrastructure, in particular, is in line with BRICS goals and opens up new ways for countries to work together on things like digital connectivity and sustainable development.
The Changing Nature of the Region and ASEAN Integration
The ASEAN-BRICS Connection
Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia all announced partnerships at the same time, which is a big deal for diplomacy in the region. Three of ASEAN’s most active economies have now joined BRICS, which diplomats call a “dual institutional membership.” This shows how complicated international relations are these days.
This coming together opens up new ways for ASEAN and BRICS to work together more closely, since both groups value non-interference and building consensus. The “ASEAN Way” of diplomacy, which focuses on quiet diplomacy and saving face, goes well with BRICS’ focus on mutual respect and non-conditionality.
The strategic effects go beyond just the economy. The ASEAN-BRICS link connects East Asian regionalism with Global South cooperation. This could lead to new ways for regions to talk to and work with each other. This change shows the rise of what academics call “institutional multiplexity,” which means being a part of several international frameworks at the same time without being loyal to any one institution.
New Ways to Handle Conflicts and Diplomacy
Vietnam’s approach to working with BRICS shows that it is a smart and creative diplomat, especially when it comes to dealing with competition between great powers. Vietnamese diplomacy has made room for what experts call “strategic hedging” instead of seeing tensions between the US and China as a zero-sum game that requires binary choices.
This way of doing things means keeping good relationships with all the major powers without getting involved in their fights. Vietnam’s ability to host officials from both the U.S. and China, help them talk to each other, and stay neutral on issues that are causing problems shows that middle powers can play important roles in global governance.
Vietnam’s diplomatic skills can teach other countries how to deal with similar problems. Focusing on economic pragmatism instead of ideological alignment, building personal relationships between leaders, and slowly building institutional ties are all tools that can be used in different situations and with different problems.
Problems and Strategic Things to Think About
Getting Through Great Power Competition
Vietnam’s partnership with BRICS is happening at the same time as the US and China are becoming more competitive strategically. This competition gives Vietnamese diplomacy both chances and limits. The chances come from the fact that both powers are paying more attention to and putting more resources into South-east Asia. The pressure to pick sides in this competition is what causes the limits.
The diplomatic problem is how to keep strategic independence while getting the most out of working with everyone. Vietnam’s approach includes what diplomats call “strategic ambiguity.” This means being flexible enough to avoid being tied to any one alignment while still keeping options open for future engagement.
For this strategy to work, you need to be able to carefully adjust your relationships, keep an eye on how power shifts, and change your position as things change. For this approach to work, Vietnam needs to be able to keep its own politics stable while dealing with outside pressures and expectations.
Balancing Institutions and Making Diplomacy More Complicated
When diplomats talk about “institutional complexity,” they mean the difficulty of managing commitments and expectations that might not always agree with each other. Vietnam’s membership in ASEAN, partnership with BRICS, and involvement with Western institutions all at the same time needs a lot of skill in diplomacy.
There are a few important ways to deal with this complexity:
- Keeping policies consistent across different forums
- Not making promises that create conflicting obligations
- Building institutional knowledge that can help people navigate different diplomatic cultures and procedures
These requirements put a lot of pressure on diplomatic resources and skills.
There is a chance that there will be conflict between institutions, especially if tensions between BRICS and Western institutions grow. Vietnam’s ability to deal with these tensions while keeping good relationships with everyone will be very important for the success of its multi-alignment strategy.
What This Means for the Future and the Strategic Outlook
The Changing Nature of Diplomacy
Vietnam’s partnership with BRICS is part of a bigger change in how diplomacy is done, moving towards what scholars call “networked diplomacy,” which means working with many institutions and frameworks at the same time instead of just aligning with one power or bloc. This way of thinking shows how complicated international relations are becoming and how important it is to have diplomatic strategies that can change and adapt.
The effects go beyond Vietnam and affect other middle powers that have to make similar strategic decisions. Vietnamese diplomacy has been able to keep the country independent while getting the most out of competition between great powers. Other countries may want to follow this example. This could lead to the rise of what diplomatic theorists call “strategic non-alignment coalitions.” These are loose groups of countries that work together to deal with great power competition in similar ways.
The long-term success of this plan depends on a few things: how well BRICS continues to work as an organisation, how well member countries can stay united even though they have different interests, and how traditional Western institutions respond to this challenge to their power.
What This Means for Global Governance
Vietnam’s joining BRICS is a sign of what international relations experts call “competitive multilateralism,” which is a system in which different institutional frameworks compete for power and importance. This competition could make global governance better by giving people different ways to work together internationally and making sure that no one institutional model is too powerful.
There are big diplomatic effects. Countries can now engage with each other in more ways than they could during the bipolar Cold War or the short time when the US was the most powerful country in the world. This wider range of options gives diplomats both chances and problems.
This system will only work if different institutions can find ways to work together and help each other instead of just trying to get more power. Vietnam’s ability to connect different institutional frameworks could show how this kind of cooperation can work in real life.
Vietnam’s partnership with BRICS is more than just a diplomatic shift; it’s a sign of a new way of doing things in international relations where middle powers can make their own decisions while still helping to run the world. This method worked well, and it teaches both diplomats and international relations scholars important lessons about how to do diplomacy well in a world with many power centres. It shows that to be a good diplomat in this era, you need to be flexible, patient, and able to connect different systems and institutions.
The effects go far beyond Vietnam and include changes to the whole international system. As more countries use the same strategies of strategic non-alignment and institutional multiplexity, the world of diplomacy will keep getting more complicated and diverse. This change is both a challenge and an opportunity for diplomacy. It needs new skills and ways of doing things, but it could also lead to better and more inclusive global governance.
