General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Process of Adjusting Vietnam's Foreign Policy Towards Asean During The Period 1986-1991

From the 1980s, Vietnam gradually fell into an increasingly severe economic and social crisis. The urgent requirement for Vietnam at this time was to find a way to quickly overcome the crisis, stabilize the economic, political, and social situation, break the blockade and embargo imposed by the United States and Western countries, and open a period of integration and cooperation for development with the world. At the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in December 1986, Nguyen Van Linh was elected as General Secretary of the Party Central Committee, directly leading the country in implementing a comprehensive reform policy, including innovations in diplomatic activities. Within the scope of this article, the group of authors focuses on clarifying the process of adjusting Vietnam's foreign policy towards the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during Nguyen Van Linh's term as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 to 1991.