1. Full name of doctoral candidate: Duong Quy Nam 2. Gender: Male
3. Date of birth: July 8, 1972 4. Place of birth: Quang Binh
5. Decision to recognize doctoral students: Decision No. 4055/2022/QD-XHNV-DT dated December 28, 2022, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
6. Changes to the training process (if any):
7. Thesis title: The Shangri-La Dialogue: Formation, Development, and Vietnam's Participation
8. Major: Political Science 9. Code: 9310201.01
10. Scientific supervisors: Prof. Dr. Phan Huy Duong; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quoc Thanh.
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:
- The research objective of this dissertation is to systematically clarify the formation and development process of the Shangri-La Dialogue; to assess the achievements, limitations, and challenges of this mechanism within the Asia-Pacific regional security structure. Based on this, the dissertation focuses on analyzing Vietnam's practical participation in the Shangri-La Dialogues from 2002 to 2025, clarifying its role, position, achievements, limitations, and causes.
Through a combination of theoretical analysis and practical summation, this dissertation aims to propose feasible directions and solutions, consistent with the foreign policy of the Party and the State, to enhance the effectiveness of Vietnam's participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue in particular and multilateral mechanisms and forums on defense and security in general in the future.
- The subject of this dissertation is the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation in this dialogue mechanism.
- New contributions of the thesis: Firstly, the thesis contributes to the systematic and comprehensive study of the theoretical basis of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation in this mechanism. Based on this, the thesis clarifies the content, structure, and basic components of the Shangri-La Dialogue; and identifies the basis for the formation and development of this dialogue mechanism from the perspective of international political relations theories. In particular, the process of Vietnam's participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue is analyzed in relation to Ho Chi Minh's thought on diplomacy, as well as the development of the foreign policy thinking of the Communist Party of Vietnam, thereby contributing to clarifying the ideological and theoretical foundation governing Vietnam's activities within this mechanism. Secondly, the thesis contributes to systematizing and clarifying, in a scientifically sound manner, the achievements, limitations, and development trends of the Shangri-La Dialogue; analyzing the practical process of Vietnam's participation and the influencing factors. Based on this, the thesis identifies the issues facing the Shangri-La Dialogue in the context of a volatile regional security environment, while clarifying the existing difficulties and challenges that Vietnam faces when participating in this multilateral security dialogue mechanism. Thirdly, the thesis clarifies the necessity and draws lessons learned for Vietnam in the process of participating in multilateral defense diplomacy activities, especially at the Shangri-La Dialogue; and proposes a system of solutions to enhance the effectiveness of Vietnam's participation in the future. Through analyzing the structure, development process, strategic role of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation, the thesis aims to contribute to contemporary academic discourse on regional security institutions in the Asia-Pacific, while providing a theoretical and practical basis for enhancing the effectiveness of Vietnam's participation in strategic dialogue mechanisms in the new era. Fourth, this dissertation is the first work in Vietnam to apply a combination of three approaches: small state theory, security discourse, and preventive diplomacy, to analyze Vietnam's behavior within the Shangri-La Dialogue mechanism – a unique Channel 1.5 dialogue institution. The application of these theories has shifted the focus of the analysis from "level of participation" to "form, quality, and strategic orientation of participation." The dissertation clarifies the security discourse mechanism that Vietnam employs to exert influence in the multilateral space and the ability of small states to create soft norms, contributing to regional order. This is a novel approach in Vietnamese political science.
- Theoretical Significance: Firstly, the dissertation contributes to clarifying theoretical issues to explain the formation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue by applying core tenets of international political relations theories on dialogue and security such as Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, theories of security dialogue, Channel 1.5 diplomacy, the theory of small states, and strategies for conduct in multilateral mechanisms. Simultaneously, the dissertation applies Ho Chi Minh Thought along with the viewpoints, principles, guidelines, and foreign policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam to explain Vietnam's participation in this mechanism. Secondly, the dissertation contributes to systematizing and concretizing information and data sources, building a comprehensive and systematic picture of the formation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue, as well as Vietnam's participation in the Dialogues through various sessions, in relation to the global, regional, and domestic context. Thus, the thesis provides scientific arguments to explain the reasons why the Shangri-La Dialogue is increasingly expanding its influence and Vietnam's increasingly active and proactive participation; it also forecasts several scenarios for the future development of this mechanism and draws policy implications for Vietnam. Thirdly, the research results of the thesis contribute to strengthening the scientific basis for the planning and implementation of Vietnam's foreign policy in the context of rapidly changing and complex international political and security situations; especially in the context of Vietnam's accelerated international integration, proactive and active participation in multilateral mechanisms, and deepening, comprehensively and substantively strengthening cooperative relations with partners.
- Practical significance: Firstly, the research results of this thesis can be used as reference material on the Shangri-La Dialogue, serving research, teaching, learning, and professional development at universities, research institutes, and research centers; and simultaneously supporting the staff working in political, defense, and security diplomacy in Vietnam and the region. Secondly, the analyses, assessments, and recommendations of this thesis can be directly applied to practical research and policy planning, contributing to improving the quality of advice provided to Party, State, and military leaders in enhancing Vietnam's participation in subsequent Shangri-La Dialogues, as well as in other multilateral defense and security mechanisms in the region and around the world, in order to best ensure national interests. Thirdly, the knowledge and research experience gained from this thesis will continue to be applied by the author in future scientific research and practical work.
- Research Methodology: This dissertation is based on the political science research methodology of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and the revolutionary line of the Communist Party of Vietnam, reinforced by interdisciplinary research methodology, theories of international political relations on dialogue and security, geopolitics, and other related theories. Based on this, the dissertation employs the following main research methods: Historical method; Statistical and data processing method; Analytical-synthetic method; Synthesis and comparison method; Forecasting method.
- Proposed policies that could be implemented in the next 1-2 years: First, leverage the Shangri-La Dialogue as a channel to announce soft defense initiatives (e.g., military medical forums, maritime safety, early warning signals) to enable Vietnam to proactively dominate the discourse on "self-reliant and transparent defense." Second, establish a strategic communication mechanism on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, coordinating with international academic organizations and the press to disseminate Vietnam's defense policy message globally. Third, propose chairing a thematic session on the South China Sea within the framework of the Shangri-La Dialogue or connecting the content of the Shangri-La Dialogue with ADMM+ to enhance institutional continuity.
12. Directions for further research:
Due to limited access to confidential documents and unofficial information, the thesis could not deeply analyze the bilateral discussions and behind-the-scenes contacts between Vietnam and its partners at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The thesis only focuses on Vietnam's role in a forum (the Shangri-La Dialogue), while not analyzing the systemic relationship between the Shangri-La Dialogue, ADMM+, ARF, EAS, CSCAP, etc. Therefore, in the future, the research could be expanded to include: analyzing the network of relationships and interactions through regional security mechanisms, or exploring new approaches such as identity policy and strategic confidence policy of small nations in a competitive environment of large powers.
13. Publications related to the dissertation:
- Duong Quy Nam (2023), “Regional and Global Security - A Perspective from the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue”,National Defense Magazine(7), pp. 84-86.
- Duong Quy Nam (2024), “Realizing the ASEAN Military/Defense Intelligence Community Initiative - A major step forward in ASEAN's political-security cooperation”,Defense Relations Magazine(68), pp. 5-10.
- Duong Quy Nam, Tran Thi Quang Hoa (2024), “Shangri-La Dialouge: Formation, Contents, Roles, and Vietnam's Participation”,Proceedings of the International Conference “International Institutions in East Asia: Revisited from Korean and Vietnamese Perspectives”, Labor Publishing House, p. 86-103.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “Non-traditional security and issues facing Vietnam's foreign policy”,Proceedings of the National Scientific Conference “Vietnam’s Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in the New Era, the Era of National Advancement”, pp. 90-94.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “22nd Shangri-La Dialogue: Vietnam's mark in building trust and promoting cooperation in the region”,Defense Relations Magazine(70), pp. 03-10.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “Shangri-La Dialogue: Important contributions to regional and global security, politics and Vietnam's participation”,Proceedings of the International Conference “The Third International Conference on the Issues of Social Sciences and Humanities”, VNU Press, Hanoi, p. 22-35.
INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS
* Thesis purpose and objectives
- The purpose of the thesis is to systematically clarify the formation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue, and to assess its achievements, limitations, and emerging issues within the Asia-Pacific regional security architecture. On that basis, the thesis focuses on analyzing Vietnam's practical participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue from 2002 to 2025, clarifying Vietnam's role, position, outcomes, existing limitations, and underlying causes.
By combining theoretical analysis with empirical review, the thesis aims to propose feasible orientations and solutions consistent with the foreign policy line of the Party and the State, in order to enhance the effectiveness of Vietnam's participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue in particular and in multilateral defense-security mechanisms and forums in general in the coming period.
- The research objectives of the thesis are the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation in this mechanism.
* Research methods
The thesis is conducted based on the political science methodology of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and the revolutionary security line of the Communist Party of Vietnam, supplemented by an interdisciplinary research approach and theories of international political relations regarding dialogue,, geopolitics, and other related theories. On that basis, the thesis utilizes the following main research methods: historical method; statistical analysis and data processing; analytical - synthetic method; comparative synthesis; and forecasting method.
Major results
- New contributions: First, the thesis contributes to a systematic and comprehensive study of the theoretical foundations of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation therein. It clarifies the conceptual content, structure, and core components of the Shangri-La Dialogue, while identifying the foundations for the formation and development of this dialogue mechanism from the perspectives of international political theories. In particular, Vietnam's participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue is analyzed in connection with Ho Chi Minh Thought on diplomacy and the evolution of the foreign policy thinking of the Communist Party of Vietnam, thereby elucidating the ideological and theoretical foundations guiding Vietnam's behavior within this mechanism. Second, the thesis systematises and scientifically clarifies the achievements, limitations, and development trends of the Shangri-La Dialogue; analyze the practical process of Vietnam's participation and the influencing factors. On that basis, it identifies the challenges facing the Shangri-La Dialogue amid regional security volatility, while clarifying the constraints, difficulties, and challenges Vietnam encounters when participating in this multilateral security dialogue mechanism. Third, the thesis clarifies the necessity of Vietnam's participation in multilateral defense diplomacy and draws lessons learned, particularly from engagement in the Shangri-La Dialogue, while predicting a set of solutions to enhance Vietnam's effectiveness in the coming period. Through analysis of the structure, development process, strategic role of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation, the thesis seeks to contribute to contemporary academic discourse on Asia-Pacific regional security institutions, while providing theoretical and practical foundations for improving Vietnam's engagement in strategic dialogue mechanisms in the new phase. Fourth, the thesis is the first study in Vietnam to apply an integrated analytical framework combining small-state theory, security discourse analysis, and preventive diplomacy to examine Vietnam's behavior within the Shangri-La Dialogue - a distinctive Track 1.5 dialogue institution. This approach shifts the analytical focus from the “level of participation” to the “forms, quality, and strategic orientation of participation.” The thesis elucidates Vietnam's security discursive mechanisms for exerting influence in multilateral settings and demonstrates the capacity of small states to shape soft norms contributing to regional order. This represents a novel approach within political science research in Vietnam.
- Theoretical Significance: First, the thesis contributes to clarifying theoretical issues regarding the formation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue by applying key propositions of international political theories related to dialogue and security, including Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, theories of dialogue, Track 1.5 diplomacy, small-state security theory, and strategic behavior in multilateral mechanisms. At the same time, it employs Ho Chi Minh Thought and the viewpoints, principles, guidelines, and foreign policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam to explain Vietnam's participation in this mechanism. Second, the thesis systematises and concretises data and information sources, constructing a comprehensive and systematic picture of the formation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Vietnam's participation across successive dialogues in relation to global, regional, and domestic contexts. It provides scientific arguments explaining the Dialogue's expanding influence and Vietnam's increasingly proactive and active engagement, while forecasting potential development scenarios and deriving policy implications for Vietnam. Third, the research findings help strengthen the scientific foundation for Vietnam's foreign policy formulation and implementation amid increasingly complex and rapidly changing international political-security dynamics, particularly as Vietnam accelerates international integration and actively engages in multilateral mechanisms, deepening comprehensive and substantive cooperation with its partners.
- Practical contributions: First, the thesis's findings can serve as reference materials on the Shangri-La Dialogue for research, teaching, learning, and professional training at universities, research institutes and centers, while supporting officials engaged in political, defense, and security diplomacy in Vietnam and the region. Second, the analyses, assessments, and recommendations can be directly applied to policy research and formulation, contributing to higher-quality advisory work for Party, State, and Army leaders in enhancing Vietnam's effectiveness in future Shangri-La Dialogues as well as other multilateral defense - security mechanisms regionally and globally, thereby protecting national interests to the greatest extent. Third, the knowledge and research experience gained from the thesis will continue to be applied by the author in future academic research and practical work.
- Policy Recommendations in the next 1 - 2 years: First, leverage the Shangri-La Dialogue as a platform to announce soft defense initiatives (eg, military medicine cooperation, maritime safety, early warning signals), enabling Vietnam to proactively shape discourse on “autonomous and transparent defense.” Second, establish a strategic communication mechanism on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, coordinated with academic institutions and international media to disseminate Vietnam's defense policy messages globally. Third, hosting proposes a thematic session on the South China Sea within the framework of the Shangri-La Dialogue or linking Shangri-La Dialogue content with ADMM+ to enhance institutional continuity.
Due to limitations in access to classified materials and informal discussions, the thesis has not been able to deeply analyze bilateral discussions and behind-the-scenes engagements between Vietnam and its partners at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The study focuses mainly on Vietnam's role in a single forum (the Shangri-La Dialogue) and has not yet examined the systemic linkages among the Shangri-La Dialogue, ADMM+, ARF, EAS, CSCAP, and other mechanisms. Future research may therefore expand toward analyzing networks of interaction across regional security mechanisms or applying new approaches such as identity policy and strategic trust-building strategies of small states in an environment of great-power competition.
- Duong Quy Nam (2023), “Regional and Global Security - A Perspective from the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue”,National Defense Magazine(7), pp. 84-86.
- Duong Quy Nam (2024), “Realizing the ASEAN Military/Defense Intelligence Community Initiative - A major step forward in ASEAN's political-security cooperation”,Defense Relations Magazine(68), pp. 5-10.
- Duong Quy Nam, Tran Thi Quang Hoa (2024), “Shangri-La Dialouge: Formation, Contents, Roles, and Vietnam's Participation”,Proceedings of the International Conference “International Institutions in East Asia: Revisited from Korean and Vietnamese Perspectives”, Labor Publishing House, p. 86-103.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “Non-traditional security and issues facing Vietnam's foreign policy”,Proceedings of the National Scientific Conference “Vietnam’s Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in the New Era, the Era of National Advancement”, pp. 90-94.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “22nd Shangri-La Dialogue: Vietnam's mark in building trust and promoting cooperation in the region”,Defense Relations Magazine(70), pp. 03-10.
- Duong Quy Nam (2025), “Shangri-La Dialogue: Important contributions to regional and global security, politics and Vietnam's participation”,Proceedings of the International Conference “The Third International Conference on the Issues of Social Sciences and Humanities”, VNU Press, Hanoi, p. 22-35.
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