Are all middle powers good international citizens? The contrasting case of Vietnam

Abstract

Past studies on middle powers suggest that states adopt niche diplomacy, peace activism and agency in international institutions to represent themselves as good international citizens. However, a growing number of studies are assessing that such states may also act assertively, achieving national interests through bold foreign policies. This study focuses on Vietnam and its ascent, examining how it represents both instances of positive and negative middle power assertiveness. This empirical explanatory research utilizes secondary data between 2021 and 2025 to trace Vietnam’s actions at sea, which display instances of middle power assertiveness. Taking the study cases of Vietnam’s overlapping maritime borders with China and Indonesia, this study concludes that the policy manifestations of Vietnam’s ‘middlepowermanship’ have been the projection of power, crowding the seas, maritime assertive manoeuvres, and displaying effective occupancy at contested seas, representing actions contrary to the common middle power literature.

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