Scientific seminar “Power competition among major powers in international relations and its impact on middle powers in Southeast Asia” - Framework for academic exchange and interaction in International Relations between HCMUSSH and HUIS

On December 17, 2025, the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City warmly welcomed lecturers and students majoring in International Relations from the School of International Studies, Hue University (HUIS) during their professional internship in Ho Chi Minh City. The scientific seminar "Power competition among major powers in international relations and its impact on middle powers in Southeast Asia," presented by Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi, opened an academic exchange space, helping students gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental theories of International Relations in a volatile global context.  

Photo: Lecturers from both units taking a commemorative photo - Source: IRNews Current Affairs Club

Opening the program, representatives from both units delivered welcoming remarks and shared academic orientations. Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi - Head of the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City - emphasized the significance of the seminar in promoting professional exchange and fostering research mindset for International Relations students, while affirming the strong cooperative relationship between the two units over the past many years. Representing the HUIS delegation, Dr. Vo Thi Kim Thao - lecturer in charge of International Relations, School of International Studies - expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome from the lecturers and students of USSH, and affirmed that the cooperative relationship between the two units has been cultivated firmly through academic activities and the bond between generations of lecturers and students. She emphasized that this exchange visit contributes to strengthening and expanding academic connections between International Relations students from the two regions.

Photo: Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi, Head of the Faculty of History and International Relations delivering welcoming remarks - Source: IRNews Current Affairs Club

Photo: Dr. Vo Kim Thao, lecturer in charge of International Relations, School of International Studies, Hue University - Source: IRNews Current Affairs Club

Regarding professional content, the seminar focused on analyses from Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi on U.S.-China competition in the Indo-Pacific region, using Organski's Power Transition Theory as the core foundation. The study pointed out that China's rise is narrowing the power gap with the U.S., thereby increasing the risk of conflict as the emerging power challenges the international order led by the U.S. In that context, middle and small powers in the region, including Vietnam, are forced to adjust their strategies towards flexible balancing between major powers, strengthening participation in multilateral mechanisms, and enhancing defense capabilities. The presentation also forecasted trends of polarization and the formation of new alliances under the increasingly profound impact of major power competition. 

Exchanging with students from HUIS, Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi clarified the "hedging" strategy as an analytical tool to identify major power intentions in the process of regional engagement, while emphasizing Vietnam's approach based on cooperation, trust-building, and expanding partnerships.

Photo: Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi, Head of the Faculty of History and International Relations presenting his speech - Source: IRNews Current Affairs Club

Photo: Students from both units attending the seminar - Source: IRNews Current Affairs Club

Through the presentation and academic exchange, the seminar contributed to clarifying the current landscape of power competition while affirming the role of an open academic space in training and research in International Relations. Through the program, the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City expressed its appreciation and best wishes to the delegation of lecturers and students from the School of International Studies, Hue University, hoping that the cooperative relationship between the two units will continue to be maintained and developed through many meaningful academic activities in the near future.

Content and images: IRNews Current Affairs Club

#USSHxHUIS #IR #AcademicExchange #SDG4 #SDG17