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Asian AnglePolitics aside, young Vietnamese are warming to China
Hit dramas, trendy consumer brands and economic opportunity are drawing a new generation into China’s cultural orbit
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Vietnam is often held up as proof of China’s underwhelming soft power in Southeast Asia: a millennium of resistance against Chinese domination, a border war within living memory, unresolved maritime disputes and elite surveys that consistently show Vietnamese respondents’ deep distrust of Beijing.
Yet beneath these strategic tensions, a quieter shift is under way. Young Vietnamese are warming to Chinese culture, language, lifestyles and economic opportunity. From crowds queuing for Labubu toys to a scramble for Chinese-language jobs, and from Chinese content going viral on social media to record numbers of Vietnamese students choosing to study at Chinese universities, China is being woven even more tightly into the everyday lives of young Vietnamese.
Four converging forces underpin this shift: cultural attraction, new-media connectivity, facilitation by both governments and economic incentives.
China’s cultural appeal rests on a mix of cultural familiarity and contemporary trendiness. Chinese dramas have long been a fixture of Vietnamese television and Vietnam is now among Asia’s largest markets for them, their reach amplified by digital distribution. Content from major Chinese streaming platforms such as iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku is carried on Vietnamese platforms such as VieOn and FPT Play, delivering China’s entertainment industry directly into Vietnamese homes and onto Vietnamese smartphones.
Meanwhile, some Vietnamese celebrities have found wider fame on Chinese reality shows, while hit Chinese formats have been adapted for Vietnamese audiences.
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