The memoir of Trần Quang Cơ (1927-2015), former member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), brings to light the intense diplomacy among great powers and regional players over the continued conflicts in Indochina after the unification of Vietnam as well as the bitter disagreements within the Vietnamese leadership over the country’s political priorities during the period of 1975-1993.

Cơ put together his memories and thoughts on “many sensitive developments” in Vietnamese foreign relations that he believed had been “intentionally or unintentionally” forgotten (rơi rụng) in the state-endorsed history “to ‘smooth over’ (tròn trĩnh) the historical record.”  Completed in Vietnamese in 2001 (updated in 2003) and informally circulated on the internet, Merle Pribbenow’s English-translation makes this valuable historical source available to wider audiences.

In December 1979 Mongolian party and government delegation headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Mongolia Jambyn Batmunkh visited Laos and had held talks with the leaders of these countries on issues pertinent to the Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979, Chinese aggressive foreign policy in Asia.

In December 1979 Mongolian party and government delegation headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Mongolia Jambyn Batmunkh visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and had held talks with the leaders of these countries on issues pertinent to the Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979, Pol Pot’s regime, situation in Indochina and Chinese foreign policy in Asia.

Deng Xiaoping criticizes Vietnam as a regional hegemon in his a meeting with Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

Huang Hua says that "the Vietnamese were the Cubans of Asia but rather more dangerous." In addition to commenting on the situation in Indochina, Huang weighs in on Soviet and Cuban policies toward the Third World, events in the Middle East, and China's involvement in the United Nations.

The Foreign Ministers of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam accused Thailand of deliberately complicating the situation in its border areas with Cambodia and Laos. They criticized Bangkok of joining the US in collaborating with China against the Indochinese peoples and labelled this a grand plan of China aimed at expanding its influence and territory into Southeast Asia. The Ministers called for the negotiation and signing of non-aggression treaties between the Indochinese countries and Thailand as well as the other nations in Southeast Asia, cooperation in the issues of refugees and humanitarian relief, etc. They also warned Thailand against supporting the Pol Pot forces, violating Cambodia's sovereignty, inciting riots in Laos and denounced the Chinese invasion of Vietnam.