Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council's coordinator for the Indo-Pacific. (Photo: VNA)

India,  Vietnam and a few others top the list of critical countries that will define the future of Asia, said Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council's coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, at an event hosted by the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace.

Campbell noted Vietnam's “remarkable growth in its technology sectors and the like,” pointing to the many high-tech and manufacturing companies increasingly looking in Vietnam "to diversify their holdings, investment, patterns of trade in Asia.”

"They are raising their diplomatic game," he said, after noting Vietnam's more active role in ASEAN.

“This is going to be a critical swing state, not just strategically but commercially and technologically,” he said.

“I believe, fundamentally, the ability to work closely with Vietnam will be decisive for us going forward."