Biden Visits Hanoi
An opportunity for media analysis
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Today’s topic is the one that has dominated Vietnam news for the last 48 hours, though I’m not going to discuss the outcomes of President Joe Biden’s visit very much since I assume most of you have seen enough of that already. But just in case, I examined the significance of the new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for The Guardian.
On to the news.
As a long-time resident of Vietnam who also happens to be a journalist, a persistent frustration is how the country is portrayed by international media and commentators/pundits.
I talked about this a lot during the pandemic, when some were quick to dismiss Vietnam’s excellent handling of COVID-19 through 2020 as the government lying, or attributed it to the alleged willingness of Vietnamese people to do whatever they are told without question.
Most of the time, however, Vietnam is ignored - or covered sparingly through the outdated lens of the war.
So when the global media industry focuses its eye of Sauron on the country, there is bound to be good and bad. President Biden’s 24-hour visit was one of those rare events that drew major international attention. and there’s plenty to discuss.