Essay
‘The first new information we’ve heard in 50 years’
Unseen Legacies researchers are answering decades-old questions about the fates of Vietnamese soldiers
Vietnam
Examining the past and imagining the future of Vietnam
Related Programs
Global Vietnam Wars Studies Initiative, Unseen Legacies of the Vietnam War Project, Vietnam Public Policy Program
The past and present of Vietnam are interlinked like few other countries. How do the conflicts of the past continue to reverberate in Vietnam today? Can Hanoi chart a course for itself in the shadow of a resurgent China while responding to Vietnam’s extraordinary demographic transformation? How will the country’s leadership balance environmental needs with continued economic growth?
These are the pressing questions that our scholars at the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia work every day to answer. Explore the events, research, and commentary below to learn more about our work.
Feature
Rajawali Semester in Review
This past semester, the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia engaged in conversations and research on topics ranging from Indonesia’s election to US-Taiwan relations with the goal of continuing to develop policy solutions to the region’s most pressing concerns.
Media Release
Harvard research project aids return of wartime personal effects to Vietnamese veterans and families
U.S. Embassy event in Hanoi was culmination of months of detailed archival research – and helped to unearth information about the final resting place of fallen soldiers.
Feature
Top Fall 2023 Insights from the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
Explore our most popular research, commentary, and events.
Video
How does the Vietnam War continue to shape US-Vietnam relations?
The Vietnam War has left an indelible mark on global politics and international relations.
Video
Book Talk: Vietnam — Navigating a Rapidly Changing Economy, Society, and Political Order
Feature
Documenting unseen legacies of Vietnam War
Biden helps deliver Kennedy School research documenting possible sites of Vietnamese soldiers’ remains during historic visit to Hanoi
Book
Vietnam: Navigating a Rapidly Changing Economy, Society, and Political Order
Essay
Meat Boils in a Leather Pot: The Legacy of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords
In a new essay, Hai Nguyen draws on oral histories to reflect on the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. Nguyen reminds us of the question many are still asking a half-century later: When foreign powers withdrew from Vietnam, why did compatriots still fight to the death?
Feature
50 years later, the legacy of the Paris Peace Accords isn’t one of peace
Historian Fredrik Logevall discusses why the agreement that ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam never led to the promised “peace with honor”
Q+A
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework holds value, but it’s unclear if it will counter China’s influence says Senior Economist David Dapice
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) could be beneficial for member countries, but without a regional trade agreement, a new administration could raise tariffs or otherwise change the terms of trade.
Policy Brief
China’s Role in Promoting Transboundary Resource Management in the Greater Mekong Basin (GMB)
Policy Brief
Vietnam’s Crisis of Success in Electricity: Options for Successful Clean Energy Mix
Feature
Remembering Senator John McCain and his efforts to heal the wounds of the Vietnam War
Remembering John McCain and his role in normalizing relations with Vietnam
Feature
Ensuring the Future of the Lower Mekong Basin
Lower Mekong Public Policy Initiative experts say proactive policies and collaboration can prevent one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world from environmental and economic calamity
