Hindi ito Marites: Vietnam, the Philippines’ bestie in the South China Sea

Given their territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap in some areas, the Philippines and Vietnam ought to be enemies. And yet they are not. The two countries have just signed a defense agreement, and have very recently held their first-ever joint coast guard exercises in the waters off Bataan in the Philippines.

Vietnam has also been a staunch supporter of the 2016 international arbitral ruling that awarded the Philippines exclusive sovereign rights in the part of the South China Sea that it calls the West Philippine Sea. This, at times even more so than the Philippines itself, particularly during Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

In this episode, Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug tells the story of the unlikely friendship between the Philippines and Vietnam, and what it could mean to the region’s geopolitical future. – Rappler.com

Presenter, writer: Marites Vitug
Producer, co-writer: JC Gotinga
Videographer: Jeff Digma
Video editor: Jaene Zaplan
Graphic artist: Raffy de Guzman, Nico Villarete
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso