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In recent years, Vietnam has become friendlier towards the US and less so towards China. Vietnam is hardly alone in Asia preferring the US to the People's Republic. 
One main reason is that whereas the US is a democracy, China is a communist country. America's wealth is another reason. The US is the most prosperous country in the history of the world. So Asian countries are eager to establish good political and economic ties with it.
Take the two Koreas. South Korea, an ally of the US, is one of the richest nations in the world. North Korea, whose only true ally is China, is one of the poorest.
Then there's of course the military might of the US. The risk of being attacked by the US seems lower if a country becomes an ally of America. Many countries, especially Japan, also support the US for fear of China's fast-growing economic, political and military power.
 I believe that having closer relations with China could bring many advantages to countries in the region.
 Chan Sing-leong, STFA Tam Pak Yu College
From the Editor
 Thank you for your interesting letter, Sing-leong. One thing you can be sure of in politics is nothing is ever as it seems. It is true that the United States is the world's sole superpower. But the US is only around seventh on the list of GDP per capita, so people in Luxembourg and Qatar are actually wealthier. In fact, Hong Kong is usually just behind the US, as far as that is concerned.
As we know, China is the world's most populous nation, closely followed by India. But neither of them is the wealthiest. So you might be right when you say wealth might have a lot to do with who a country picks as its friend. After all, you're more willing to loan money to your friend than your enemy.
But America tends to be more proactive when dealing with countries, while China seems to be more reserved. Perhaps it has something to do with culture and public relations.
 Susan, Editor



Why countries like the US over China