Vol 7, No 3-2 (2023)

In 2022–2023 in connection with the escalation of the confrontation between the United States and China in Asia-Pacific in both military and political spheres, the position of the countries of East and Southeast Asia acquires an extremely important role. A number of regional powers have already taken their side, and the struggle between the two superpowers now aims to attract new allies and partners out of the ASEAN countries. Vietnam as a regional leader and a major economic player in the strategically important Greater Mekong region is of paramount importance to the interests of both the United States and China. Vietnam finds itself in the epicenter of a big diplomatic game between Washington and Beijing. The Chinese leadership can no longer ignore the danger of rapprochement of its Southern neighbors with the military-political associations that the United States forms along the borders of the PRC. The future of not only the two-state dialogue, but also in many respects the security and stability in the Southeast Asia depends on how the Chinese authorities approach the resolution of problems in Vietnam–China relations.

Attracting investment is currently a top issue for Vietnam in general and localities in particular, especially attracting capital flows from large firms in high-tech, eco-friendly industries, toward a green economy and sustainable development. So, this research is conducted to attract investment effectively from large firms, based on the determinants that influence business investment decisions. The study carried out 226 survey samples of large non-state firms in Vietnam, using the EFA test and linear regression. The results reveal that investing in Vietnam is the right decision, and supporting services have the largest influence, followed by human resources, geographic infrastructure, input costs, and market, respectively. Based on the findings, some recommendations are proposed for localities to improve their investment environment and efficiency in order to attract strategic investors and meet the province's sustainable development orientation.

This article introduces the results of excavation and research on the cultural remains of prehistoric people in the volcanic caves at Krong No, Dak Nong (Vietnam). The sediments in the caves have preserved a standard stratigraphy of the prehistoric culture of the ancient people who lived there, allowing an assessment of the tools, burial characteristics, and vestiges of animals and plants. The absolute dating system (¹⁴C) has revealed continuous human habitation in the caves from 7,000 to 4,000 BP. In addition, the archeological evidence from the volcanic caves at Krong No provides important information about the past environment, evolutionary history and diversity of nature, adaptation of people to changes in the environment, and their spiritual culture (from burial documents). Clear findings on the characteristics of the ancient fauna and flora are not commonly found in the archeological evidence of the Central Highlands volcanic region of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

The article notes that it is important to pay special attention to prepositions when learning the Vietnamese language, as in Vietnamese grammar they play a significant role and have many features. The author lists and analyses the factors that prevent adequate understanding, use and translation of Vietnamese pretexts by students. These include interference, deviation, semantic interpretation, situational prepositions, multiple meanings, variability, partial equivalence, as well as typological features of the Vietnamese language and cultural factor. There are some general recommendations to minimize preposition errors during the study of the Vietnamese language.

That is the review of the international scientific conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s first visit to Russia and organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Saint Petersburg State University together with the Center for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies of ICCA RAS. The participants' reports noted the role of Russia in the life and work of Ho Chi Minh and the relevance of its ideas in our time.

Приводится текст Совместного заявления генерального секретаря ЦК КПВ Нгуен Фу Чонга и президента США Джозефа Р. Байдена о повышении уровня американо-вьетнамских отношений до всеобъемлющего стратегического партнерства, подписанного в Ханое 10 сентября 2023 г.

The review is given to a reference book on modern Vietnam published by the Routledge publishing house (UK), which is a collection of 38 scientific articles by an international team of authors. The book provides a general description of all spheres of life in this dynamically developing country. The reference book will be useful to everyone who studies Vietnam and is interested in the current state of the country.