The article analyzes the development strategy of Vietnam in the documents of the 13th Congress of the CPV. The Congress solved logically connected problems, such as: the analysis of threats, the development and approval of the strategy to overcome them (until 2045) and the election of a new leadership. At present, Hanoi is in the situation "between a rock and a hard place". For any certain country such a situation would be final judgement, but modern Vietnam has been existing in this paradigm for many decades; in this complicated situation the country continues its dynamic development, defending its interests strictly and systematically, and making ambitious plans for the future. The analysis of the combination of current threats and opportunities shows that currently Vietnam, given political stability, can regularly increase its economic and defensive potential and look forward with optimism.