Strategic Sourcing Reconfiguration under Geopolitical Uncertainty: Vietnam’s Rise as a Hub in Global Value Chains

Abstract

This thesis examines how multinational firms reconfigure their global sourcing networks under geopolitical uncertainty, with particular attention to procurement-led decision-making and Vietnam's positioning as an alternative sourcing destination. Existing research treats Supply Chain Resilience (SCR) and Global Value Chain (GVC) theory in isolation, leaving underexplored the mechanisms through which firms translate structural pressure into concrete sourcing decisions. The study integrates the two perspectives and positions procurement as the mediating mechanism through which resilience-driven reconfiguration is enacted within the structural constraints of GVCs. Empirical evidence comes from a qualitative multi-case design covering ten firms across six industries and six home countries, drawing on semi-structured interviews and written questionnaires with senior procurement and supply chain professionals. The findings show that GVC reconfiguration unfolds not as wholesale relocation but as incremental, procurement-mediated adjustment through supplier diversification, dual qualification, and selective movement of downstream activities. Vietnam emerges as a strategic but conditional node, valuable for diversification and customer alignment yet constrained by upstream input dependency and capability gaps. The study identifies procurement as the missing link between geopolitical uncertainty and GVC reconfiguration, and reframes Vietnam beyond the narrative of a low-cost China replacement.