Tributary Activities of Vietnam and Korea with China: Similarities and Differences

Abstract

Although Korea is in Northeast Asia and Vietnam is in Southeast Asia, due to similarities in historical circumstances and being deeply influenced by Chinese civilization, the two countries share many similarities. Foremost among these similarities is the diplomatic aspect, which most clearly reflects the close relationship between geopolitics and behavior with the outside world. If East Asian modern history (including Vietnam and Korea) is the history of relations with the West, then East Asian premodern history is the history of relations with China. Therefore, comparing the Chinese tributary activities of Korea with the diplomacy of Vietnam in the medieval period not only shows similarities and differences in diplomacy between the two countries but also helps to determine the position and behavior of Vietnam and Korea with China as the center of the East Asian regional order at that time.