2025 marks 50 years since Vietnam's reunification. A great moment to reflect on the country's remarkable transformation. Since launching major economic reforms four decades ago, Vietnam has achieved one of the world’s fastest growth rates, attracting global investment as companies shift production from China.

Today, it's a lower middle-income nation with bold ambitions to become a developed, high-income country by 2045. But, as Vietnam looks ahead, it faces significant challenges, from how to unleash more human creativity and reforming institutions to getting badly needed investments in infrastructure off the ground.

And like every other country, Vietnam cannot escape dealing with a fragmenting world order, that will challenge its famed bamboo diplomacy, where Hanoi works to be friends with everyone. Something that might no longer suit a geopolitical environment that incereasingly demands chosing sides.

In this episode, hear dr. Hai Hong Nguyen discuss all these points, and more. He's a senior lecturer in politics, social change, and international relations at VinUniversity in Hanoi.

This conversation is part of our long-running web series A Closer Look and available as video on the Asia Society YouTube channel.

Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 8, episode 16 - Published: July 8, 2025
Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

South Korea is heading to the polls to elect a successor to impeached President Yoon, whose failed attempt to put the country under martial law back in December laid bare the deep divisions and gloom that plague Korean society.

We talk about all this with Eunwoo Lee in Seoul, from where he writes for The Diplomat.

Want more Korea? Join us in Zurich on June 25 for an evening with stellar Korean author Bora Chung. More info and tickets on our website.

A solid analysis of the challenges South Korea faces as it heads to the polls, from Carnegie's Chung Min Lee is here.

More on the exhibition Hallyu! which runs through August 17 at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich.

Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 8, episode 15 - Published: May 27, 2025
Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

The defining characteristic of the environment in China has been its pace of change. And that has its impact on the latest generation of Chinese entrepreneurs who need to innovate to meet the tough demands of Chinese consumers.

The message is: adapt or get washed away. It's like constantly swimming with piranhas, says Zak Dychtwald, our guest on this episode. The skill to adapt to people's always evolving demands, is increasingly making Chinese companies globally competitive.

Zak is the founder and CEO of Young China Group, a consultancy decoding China's market, workforce, and geopolitical shifts. Fluent in Mandarin and based in Shanghai, he brings over a decade of firsthand experience to his work as the author of Young China and a contributor to Harvard Business Review. A sought-after speaker invited to events on six continents, Zak combines data-driven research with deep cultural insight to help leaders navigate China's future.

Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 8, episode 14 - Published: May 13, 2025
Hosts: Serena Jung, Nico Luchsinger, Asia Society Switzerland
Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland