Brotherly Support: Economic Aid to Vietnam during the American War (1954–1975)

During the wars to gain independence, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) had a wide range of support from socialist countries. Due to the global conflict of the Cold War, the assistance from the socialist bloc not only came from the special relationship between Vietnam and this camp but also reflected complex international relations. This paper draws on documents tapped from collections of the Prime Minister's Office which contains important memorandums exchanged between the Prime Minister's office, the Vice Prime Minister, and the Foreign Trade Ministry. Based on these documents and Vietnam’s position at the centre of the confrontation between the East and the West, this article shows the tremendous economic aid that was received for the national salvation of the Vietnamese people from the Soviet Union and China during the anti-American resistance war. The article also reveals cracks within the communist camp, even though these socialist countries were seen as a solidary bloc and had a shared ideology. In the context of the Cold War with the East-West confrontation, and the fractured relations between countries in the communist bloc, the DRV always received support from both the Soviet Union and China. Perhaps it was rare for two rival countries to jointly provide aid to a third country, like the relationship between Vietnam-China-the Soviet Union during this period.