Comprehensive strategic partnerships of Vietnam

Strategic partnership and comprehensive partnership are phrases that refer to diplomatic relations between two countries. Relations range from bilateral partners, regional partners to comprehensive partners, strategic partners. By 2013, although there had been 10 strategic partnerships established over the previous 10 years, Vietnamese foreign policy makers had not yet come up with a clear definition. for this concept, especially its connotation. In an interview with the Government Electronic Newspaper in 2015, Mr. Tran Viet Thai, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy, reported: Vietnam has 5 comprehensive strategic partners, 15 strategic partners. strategic (including four comprehensive strategic partners) and 12 comprehensive partners. According to master Le Hong Hiep, a relationship should be considered "strategic" for Vietnam only if it has particularly important implications for Vietnam's security, prosperity, and international position. Of these three aspects, the two aspects of security and prosperity must be the two essential aspects, while the last aspect is only of secondary significance.

By 2025, Vietnam currently has: 12 Comprehensive Strategic Partners; 21 Strategic Partners (including 12 Comprehensive Strategic Partners) and 14 Comprehensive Partners. Of which 8/10 countries are CPTPP members (excluding Vietnam) with 1 country being a Comprehensive Strategic Partner, 4 countries being Strategic Partners and 3 countries being Comprehensive Partners; The remaining two countries that do not have high-level partnerships are Peru and Mexico. With ASEAN countries, Vietnam has currently established high-level diplomatic relations with all 9/9 member countries (excluding Vietnam) with 5 countries being Strategic Partners and 2 countries being Comprehensive Partners; The remaining three countries, Cambodia, Laos and Cuba are under Special Relations.

Another special case among Vietnam's partners is the United States, which has had its relationship level upgraded from Comprehensive Partnership (established in 2013) to the highest level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (established in 2023), which ignores the Strategic Partnership level.