Draft:Four Nos policy

The "Four Nos" policy (chính sách “bốn không”), officially referred as the "four nos" defence policy (chính sách quốc phòng “bốn không”) also known as the "four-nos and one-depending" policy (chính sách "bốn không và một tùy") or the "four nos", "one also", "one depending" defence policy (chính sách quốc phòng “bốn không”, “một đồng”, “một tùy”), is a defence policy constructed by the Government of Vietnam under the political leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, instrumenting Vietnam to be politically and militarily non-aligned and independent. The current evolution of the "Four Nos" policy is defined in the Vietnam Ministry of National Defence's 2019 White Paper, and unlike many misrepresentations and misunderstandings, the "Four Nos" policy is never a constitutionally-codified principle or a formal declaration that Vietnam is officially a neutral country. According to the Former Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh - who was credited as one of the most influential figures in the construction of the "Four Nos" policy - "Vietnam being neutral" is largely a misunderstanding of the respective policy:

"“Vietnam is not neutral, Vietnam is independent. Being independent is utterly different from being neutral. We are independent on the basis of ethical principles, international law, and Vietnam’s interests.”"

- Nguyễn Chí Vịnh

History
The policy was first introduced by the Vietnamese authorities as the "Three Nos" since 1998, corresponding to the end of the Cold War, the termination of Russian Armed Forces permanent stations in Vietnam, the reintegration of Vietnam into the international community after its military intervention in Cambodia and the reconcilation of Vietnam and the Western world.

One "no" was added into the policy in 2019, making it the "Four Nos" policy. The 2019 amendment also added flexibility to Vietnam's commitment, while reaffirming the government's positive reception to international cooperations that enhance Vietnam's own capability and to deal with shared concerns of other countries as long as it stills preserve the regime's strategic autonomy.

2019 amendment
The current version of the "Four Nos" policy is defined in the 2019 National Defence White Paper, officially titled the 2019 Viet Nam National Defence (Quốc phòng Việt Nam 2019). The white paper has declared the "Four Nos" policy as:

không tham gia liên minh quân sự không liên kết với nước này để chống nước kia không cho nước ngoài đặt căn cứ quân sự hoặc sử dụng lãnh thổ Việt Nam để chống lại nước khác không sử dụng vũ lực hoặc đe dọa sử dụng vũ lực trong quan hệ quốc tế
 * 1) No joining any military alliances
 * 1) No siding with one country against another
 * 1) No giving any other countries permission to set up military bases or use its territory to carry out military activities against other countries
 * 1) No using force or threatening to use force in international relations

In addition to the mentioned "no" clauses, the 2019 amendment of the policy also enjoys a "depending" clause, adding flexibility to Vietnam's commitment to nonalignment. It is unclear if this clause - which is so-called the "One Depending" - can be used to disable or overwrite the above "Four Nos" when necessary, however, it is not intended to be literally and logically conflict with the "Four Nos". The clause defines: "Depending on circumstances and specific conditions, Viet Nam will consider developing necessary, appropriate defence and military relations with other countries on the basis of respecting each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity as well as fundamental principles of international law, cooperation for mutual benefits and common interests of the region and international community. Tùy theo diễn biến của tình hình và trong những điều kiện cụ thể, Việt Nam sẽ cân nhắc phát triển các mối quan hệ quốc phòng, quân sự cần thiết với mức độ thích hợp trên cơ sở tôn trọng độc lập, chủ quyền, thống nhất và toàn vẹn lãnh thổ của nhau cũng như các nguyên tắc cơ bản của luật pháp quốc tế, hợp tác cùng có lợi, vì lợi ích chung của khu vực và cộng đồng quốc tế."

Besides the "Four Nos" and "One Depending", the policy also defines an "also" clause as supplement to the mentioned 4+1 clauses, to avoid the misconception that Vietnam seems committed to isolationism. It says: "Viet Nam also promotes defence cooperation with countries to improve its capabilities to protect the country and address common security challenges. Đồng thời, tăng cường hợp tác quốc phòng với các nước để nâng cao khả năng bảo vệ đất nước và giải quyết các thách thức an ninh chung."