Con Dao’s Geo-Economic and Geopolitical Position: Approaching From the Competition Between Western Countries (XVII - XIX Centuries)

Abstract

Thanks to the characteristics of an archipelago consisting of many small islands in the East Sea, separated from the mainland, Con Dao has a particularly essential position in politics, military, and economy for Vietnam and many countries in history and present. Due to the abundance and diversity of natural resources, it was located in an important position on international trade routes, since the middle period, Con Dao was not only a favorable place to build centers trade or transshipment warehouse linking the East with the West but also helps to link and shorten the journey to countries within Asia. In the strategic vision of Western countries (from XVII century), Con Dao is an essential point in trade activities, contributing to control and domination of the maritime route from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean as well as to ensure the exclusive right to exploit and accumulate capital in this area. Thus, in the XVII and XIX centuries, both Britain and France competed to monopolize Con Dao towards the goal of gaining an economic and political advantage in the strategy of expanding the sphere of influence outside Europe. Through the interpretation of the Western countries’ competition to monopolize Con Dao, this article aims to clarify the unique geo-economic and geopolitical position of this archipelago; thereby, there is a connection between the role and position of Con Dao in Vietnam’s development strategy in the current context.