Title states all, Vietnam is a country that fought for it's independence, fought off multiple invaders including 2 industrialized western superpower nations, and now is one of the fastest growing economies in East Asia and is generally speaking seen as a positive nation on the global stage, without all of the baggage that China or North Korea carry. Obviously this is an abridged understanding of Vietnam but on paper it looks good, unless there's some brave posters willing to tell me otherwise?
-7DeadlyFetishes
There are centuries of hatred, conquests and counter conquests etc.
But things were fairly cordial in the 50s-70s. Both the KMT and the CPC supported Ho Chi Minh against the French, until Vietnam chose the Soviet side of the split (technically they were neutral, but refused Deng's bribes), allowed foreign drilling in the South China Sea (which was and is disputed) and then realised what was going on in Cambodia was fucked and intervened.
So China invaded and got their asses handed to them.
Things have improved a lot since 1990 with most territorial disputes being resolved and major socialist co-operation, but there's been a brush war about the South China Sea in the last few years, with the USA trying to prevent a deal.
As for the Dengism, I'm not a Dengist (I'm a Little Dengist) but while Vietnam has more marketisation, the material conditions mean it's largely Petit Bourgeois in nature, Vietnam does have more foreign involvement too, but if anything the industrial heights of the economy are even more directly planned than China imo.