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Abstract
Social cohesion holds significant importance within immigrant communities, providing them with a sense of belonging to a group of people who share many similarities while they are adapting to an unfamiliar environment. This article explores social cohesion in the Indian community in Vietnam through the primary method of surveying and in-depth interviews. The authors believe that the Indian community in Vietnam currently is not closely connected, but that its members show a certain dependence on and trust in the members of the community. Regarding cohesion methods, the article explores the main methods of engagement, such as participation in community activities, in the activities of representative organisations, and in interactive groups on social media. In all three ways it is undeniable that Indians living in Vietnam have made efforts to stick together and unite, but the results have not really been what they wanted.

The Indo-Pacific region is an area adjacent to some oceans and the gateway that connects the great power and small countries to the world; this region is always considered by Vietnam as a key strategic geographic area, having direct impacts on national security, position and its role in this region. While big powers have different perceptions to the Indo-Pacific region, as a country occupying an important geographic position in the Pacific region, Vietnam shares a common vision of an open and rule-based area, and a common interest in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity as well as building a common space for coexistence and development with the belief that the Indo-Asian-Pacific is large enough for every nation to grow and prosper. This article finds out that recent changes in the Indo-Pacific region in geopolitics, economics, security and national defence have made many countries, including Vietnam, to redefine their global and regional policies to refresh their strategic perceptions. Vietnam has its own perception, position, approach and national orientations, which is shaping its state behaviour and perspectives in this geopolitical vibrant Indo-Pacific region. Besides, this article uses the SWOT analysis model to determine the challenges, strengths and weaknesses of Vietnam in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, while the future of the Indo-Pacific in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world remains filled with uncertainty and economic challenges, the crisis also presents an opportunity for Vietnam to re-evaluate its position. Today, Vietnam always maintains its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of international relations, which attaches great importance to enhancing multi-faceted cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Thus, with its own perception and geostrategic advantage, Vietnam—a developing country in the region and in the world with relatively stable economic growth, pursuing rules and order will be a positive factor for a stable, peaceful and prosperous development in the region.

South Asia is becoming one of the most fiercely competitive battlegrounds between India and China. Located at the center of South Asia and with its large geographical area, population, and economic size, superior military strength compared to other countries in the region, India has always been the most influential power in the region. But in the past decade, China's intensified partnership with small countries in South Asia has threatened India's number one position in the region. It is the challenges posed by China in South Asia, inter alia, that have forced India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make various important foreign policy adjustments. To interpret India–China competition in South Asia in aspects of diplomacy, economy, security and defense, the paper uses international relations theories including constructivism, neo-realism (particularly offensive realism) and the balance of threat theory. Although the paper analyzes India–China competition in all three areas of diplomacy, economy and military security, the authors are of the view that, the most fundamental motivation of China and India in this competition is to achieve power and security and not economic objectives. While China's strategic calculation leans towards its ambitions to gain greater power in the geopolitical order, India's strategic calculation leans towards ensuring its security. By using qualitative methods and utilizing secondary data including books, treatises, articles and policy briefs[Formula: see text], this paper analyzes the strategic calculations of India and China in South Asia. The paper argues that China's intention is to emulate and then overtake India in the very region of India's traditional influence, while India's strategy is to maintain and strengthen its number one position in the region. Though China's influence in the region seems to have overwhelmed over India, India with all its internal forces is also hindering China's penetrating steps into South Asian region.

Experts and scholars are increasingly discussing the trend of US–China decoupling in the context of the two countries' intensifying strategic conflict. This inevitable trend, though only in the early stages, has already had a significant impact in a variety of fields, including technology, investing, and banking, and is predicted to continue to grow in the future. In areas including capital markets, financial services, investments, and financial institutions, the paper clarifies the financial decoupling between the US and China. As a result of the two countries' intense competitiveness with one another in a wide range of industries, there was a financial decoupling between the US and China. China is seeking to create its own system which includes independent financial institutions from the US-established or US-based institutions, thereby, creating independence and competing with US's position. The US, for its part, has been proactive in conducting strong decoupling in the stock market by restricting investment in China and increasing scrutiny of the presence of some Chinese military-related companies on the US stock market. However, due to mutual interests, both countries seem to have the dilemma of separating from each other. The two countries continue the trend of decoupling but at the same time, increase cooperation in various areas including financial services. The decoupling process between the world's two leading powers has a direct, multi-dimensional, lasting and profound impact not only on the two countries but also on the global system of institutions, rules and standards, in which the challenge side is bigger than the opportunity side. As a partner of both the US and China, Vietnam also faces direct challenges from the financial decoupling of these two powers.