Asia Continuity: South Asia’s Linkages with East and Southeast Asia

This book is about connectivity between South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, which are often thought in conventional wisdom as three separate regions. However, ancient artefacts found across the three regions show that their connection, especially the influence of Indian culture and religious practices, run deep. The modern world has witnessed the rise of India (the largest country in South Asia), China, South Korea and Japan (in East Asia), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (in Southeast Asia). Therefore, connecting the three regions has been part of political thinking of regional leaders in the so-called “Century of Asia”. The discussion and analysis in each chapter of the book through the lens of history, culture, religion, security, political and economic cooperation from the ancient to modern time offer a primilary answer to the question of why connectivity and links between the three regions are now more important than ever and need to be strengthened.

Dr Hai Hong Nguyen is an Assistant Professor of politics, social change and international relations at VinUniversity, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sunshine Coast. His research focuses on politics and international relations in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as East and Southeast Asia. His first and groundbreaking book on Vietnamese politics, “Political Dynamics of Grassroots Democracy in Vietnam,” published by Palgrave Macmillan (2016), is a must-read for scholars and students of Vietnamese politics.

Dr Pham Cao Cuong is a former Deputy Director-General of the Institute for South Asian, West Asian, and African Studies (ISAWAAS). Previously, he was the Deputy Director-General responsible for the Vietnam Institute for Indian and Southwest Asian Studies (VIISAS), Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Institute for Americas Studies (VIAS), and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, under VASS. He earned a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia.

Dr Hai Hong Nguyen is an Assistant Professor of politics, social change and international relations at VinUniversity, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sunshine Coast. His research focuses on politics and international relations in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as East and Southeast Asia. His first and groundbreaking book on Vietnamese politics, “Political Dynamics of Grassroots Democracy in Vietnam,” published by Palgrave Macmillan (2016), is a must-read for scholars and students of Vietnamese politics.

Dr Pham Cao Cuong is a former Deputy Director-General of the Institute for South Asian, West Asian, and African Studies (ISAWAAS). Previously, he was the Deputy Director-General responsible for the Vietnam Institute for Indian and Southwest Asian Studies (VIISAS), Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Institute for Americas Studies (VIAS), and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, under VASS. He earned a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia.