Speaking of Asia Podcast: Vietnam War eyewitness on Asia’s new Cold War

Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times’ associate editor Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent.

In this episode of 2023, he chats with Nayan Chanda, the celebrated editor, journalist and Indo-China specialist on his eyewitness account of the end of the Vietnam War, the new Cold War in Asia, the Sino-Russian concord, and chances of an open conflict in the region.

The podcast was conducted against the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreement that led to the end of the conflict in Vietnam.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:35 Fall of Saigon ends Vietnam War

6:00 Why he stayed, when other fled

10:45 Vietnam 1975, Afghanistan 2021

15:50 The new Cold War in Asia?

21:00 Sino-Russian ‘shotgun wedding’

25:20 Possibility of war in our current times

Produced by: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Fa’izah Sani

Follow Speaking Of Asia Podcast every second Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7