China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-formerly known as the One Belt One Road initiative, first unveiled by the Chinese President in 2013, is one of the biggest initiatives in modern Chinese history. The "Belt" refers to connecting overland infrastructure projects. It aims to link China with Central Asia, Russia and Europe, China with the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea through Central Asia and West Asia, and China with Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Indian Ocean. The "Road" is the maritime route. It is an ambitious "Road" that connects many different seas in the world starting from the coastal ports of China and travels through the South China Sea, South Pacific Ocean, Oceania, and Indian Ocean. At present, China is very active in implementing the BRI to attract participating countries and Vietnam is one. Even though Vietnam and China have an adversarial history, because of Vietnam's geographical location, they can hardly refuse to participate in the BRI initiative. The main question is what degree is Vietnam willing to participate in the BRI. This initiative will bring Vietnam opportunities, but also challenges its national security, especially, in the context of China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The thesis starts by reviewing the process of improving the relationship between two countries and the foundations of the initiative. The research examines the literature review of BRI using the DIME model. This thesis then scrutinizes the benefits and challenges for Vietnam's national security through the lens of DIME model of national power as an analytical framework of three options that Vietnam may participate. The thesis concludes by suggesting policies for Vietnam to mitigate the potential negative impact from the BRI.

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