National Scientific Conference "U.S. Force Gathering in the 2017-2024 Period and Its Impacts on the World"
On June 12, 2026, the Institute for European and American Studies, in collaboration with the Faculty of History and International Relations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, successfully organized a national scientific conference on the topic: "U.S. Force Gathering in the 2017-2024 Period and Its Impacts on the World." The conference was attended by representatives of the Board of Presidents of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Van Quyet - Vice President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chien Thang, Director of the Institute for European and American Studies - Conference Co-chair; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Trung - Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies - Project Director of KX.06.07/21-30.
Photo: Lecturers of the Faculty of History and International Relations take a souvenir photo with the presenters.
In his welcoming speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Van Quyet affirmed: "Researching this topic not only helps us better understand current developments but also contributes to identifying the trends shaping the regional and international environment in the coming years." Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Van Quyet also emphasized that as a leading training and research institution in the field of social sciences and humanities, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City always values the creation of open, serious, and dialogical academic spaces: "We particularly appreciate the collaboration between the Faculty of History and International Relations and the Institute for European and American Studies, as well as the participation of scientists, experts, and lecturers in today's conference."
Photo: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Van Quyet - Vice President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
The conference was organized into two sessions with six presentations delivered by the presenters. The first session focused on analyzing the basis and practice of U.S. force gathering in the 2017-2024 period in the Indo-Pacific region. The second session delved into clarifying U.S. force gathering across sectors and partners during the 2017-2024 period.
Opening the first session, Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi presented research titled "Great Power Competition and Alliance Restructuring: A Realist Perspective on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy (2017-2021)." According to the study, applying John Mearsheimer's realism combined with Stephen Walt's balance theory, Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi stated that the Indo-Pacific region is critical for the U.S. to enhance its presence and assert its role. Furthermore, strategic competition between the U.S. and China is a key driver for the U.S. to increase its presence and restructure its alliance network in the Indo-Pacific. Regardless of whether it was under Joe Biden, Barack Obama, or Donald Trump, the U.S. has always viewed China as "a fierce and serious competitor" and a top "strategic competitor." From this assessment, the U.S. is gradually expanding force gathering forms not only in the security sector but also on economic, trade, and technological fronts. Emphasizing this trend, Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi asserted: "Not only in economic and security issues, but the U.S. has attempted to gather forces in the trade war and semiconductor war" against China. According to Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi, this indicates that U.S.-China competition today has surpassed traditional geopolitics to spill over into high-tech fields and strategic supply chains, thereby becoming one of the important factors shaping the Indo-Pacific landscape in recent years.
Photo: Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi - Dean of the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
Following the analyses of U.S. strategic motivations, Dr. Pham Thi Yen from Saigon University focused on clarifying the process of restructuring the alliance network in the region through the paper "Restructuring the Indo-Pacific Alliance Network: Comparing the U.S. Force Gathering Strategy under Donald Trump 1.0 and Joe Biden." The report focused on comparing how the two administrations built and consolidated allies and partners in the region. Expanding on these analyses, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Nam Tien approached the issue from a more comprehensive perspective through the paper "U.S. Force Gathering in the Indo-Pacific in the 2017-2025 Period: A Comparative Perspective between the Donald Trump 1.0 and Joe Biden Administrations." The report not only compared the force gathering methods of the two administrations but also assessed the impacts of these strategic adjustments on the security structure and balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photo: Dr. Pham Thi Yen - Saigon University.
Photo: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Nam Tien - Lecturer at the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
Continuing the analysis of U.S. force gathering strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, Dr. Nguyen Minh Man from Ho Chi Minh City University of Education presented the paper "Maritime Security Cooperation between the U.S. and QUAD Countries in the 2017-2024 Period." The report focused on clarifying the process of strengthening cooperation among the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia in maritime security fields, from strategic dialogue and joint military exercises to coordinating the assurance of freedom of navigation and supply chain security. According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Man, the development of QUAD not only reflects U.S. efforts to consolidate partners in the region but also demonstrates the trend of increasingly close ties between nations sharing strategic interests in the face of fluctuations in the regional security environment.
Photo: Dr. Nguyen Minh Man - Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.
Continuing in the second session, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen from the Institute for European and American Studies presented the topic "Force Gathering Strategy in High-Tech and Semiconductors under Joe Biden and Implications for Vietnam." In her paper, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen emphasized that the U.S., along with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, currently holds about 82% of the global semiconductor industry market share, thereby forming a technological link network that can be considered a "defensive alliance." Additionally, the U.S. has introduced extreme production management principles that run counter to free-market principles. Closing the second session, Dr. Kieu Thanh Nga (Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies) presented the topic "From Transactional Partner to Strategic Alliance: Adjusting the U.S. Approach to Force Gathering with India in the 2017-2024 Period."
Photo: Dr. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen - Institute for European and American Studies.
Photo: Dr. Kieu Thanh Nga - Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies.
With the presented papers, the National Scientific Conference "U.S. Force Gathering in the 2017-2024 Period and Its Impacts on the World" contributed to clarifying the adjustments in foreign strategy and force gathering methods of the U.S. under the two Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations. From perspectives on alliances, security, technology, and strategic partnerships, the reports provided in-depth analysis of the impacts of this strategy on the political, economic, and global security landscape amid intensifying competition between major powers. The academic exchanges at the conference contribute to supplementing research foundations on international relations and support the assessment of development trends of the world order in the future.
The National Scientific Conference "U.S. Force Gathering in the 2017-2024 Period and Its Impacts on the World" consisted of 2 sessions: Session 1: Contents on the Basis and Practice of U.S. Force Gathering in the 2017-2024 Period, chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Nam Tien and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Trung. Includes the following papers:
Session 2: U.S. Force Gathering Across Sectors and Partners, chaired by Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Trung. Includes the following papers:
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