The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between America and Vietnam in Its Second Year: 19FortyFive recently broke the news that Vietnam will buy a large amount of F-16 fighters from the United States. But this budding partnership is about far more than fighter planes.
The United States and Vietnam, former adversaries but now significant trading partners, are in their second year of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthening their ties. In 2025, the comprehensive strategic partnership will reach a significant two-year milestone as both America and Vietnam are thirty years into normalization, as five decades ago, both countries were intertwined in one of the most deadly wars in modern history.
The comprehensive strategic partnership serves as a significant counterbalance to China’s growing influence in international relations in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea, where China’s soft power and naval force projection are increasing. In its second year, questions remain: Will the partnership hold up, and is there still room to grow between Washington and Hanoi?
The 2023 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement
On September 10, 2023, then-United States President Joe Biden and the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a significant turning point in Southeast Asia. The elevation of relations between Hanoi and Washington places America on the same bilateral level as Russia and China in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough between the two countries.
Under the upgraded relations, Vietnam and the United States will further strengthen cooperation in trade, investments, science, technology, and climate action, with more opportunities in other sectors. Southeast Asia is an emerging global supply chain hub for not just the United States but for the entire world, and Hanoi is one of the top ten major trading partners of the United States.
The opportunity to grow supply chains in the Indochina region, with Vietnam as a starting point, would be an essential step toward diversifying from the People’s Republic of China, which the United States government aims to do, especially as the latter two superpowers now compete for global hegemonic status.
Washington and Hanoi Continue Growing Bilateral Ties
The United States and Vietnam share the ideals of growing technological and economic sectors. The growth of semiconductors in Eastern Asia continues to grow not only in Taiwan, China, Japan, and South Korea but also in Vietnam.
Amkor, an American firm, is opening a $1.6 billion facility in Vietnam for this endeavor. Furthermore, Reuters reported in January 2024 that fifteen American firms are competing to invest $8 billion in semiconductor manufacturing in Vietnam.
American companies and business owners are currently heavily investing in Vietnam, including Intel, Apple, Nike, Amkor, Marvell, and First Solar, with the list likely to continue growing as a result of the comprehensive strategic partnership. Simultaneously, Vietnamese companies such as VinFast and VGN Corporation are increasing investments in the United States. VinFast’s growth in North Carolina is contributing to the local economy by creating additional manufacturing opportunities.
Hurdles and Challenges in the Strategic Partnerships
Although Vietnam and the United States have reached new heights in their upgraded relations, it is essential to note that the comprehensive strategic partnership does not include a mutual defense accord that entails direct military assistance. During the joint signing, neither Washington nor Hanoi mentioned ‘containment’ of Beijing’s ambitions, even though the South China Sea continues to grow into a potential regional powder keg.
Vietnam’s upgraded partnership with the United States aligns with India’s current strategy of not fully aligning with one side to avoid triggering ire or retaliation from the People’s Republic of China, while strategically maintaining full diplomatic cohesion with all regional powers and preserving its sovereignty.
Vietnam is also a close ally of Russia, as the United States ignored the original requests for their self-determination post-WWII. Though they do not supply the Russian military’s illegal aggression in Ukraine, it is tantamount for the U.S. government not to push or strong-arm Hanoi closer to Moscow.
Nevertheless, in the future, the U.S. and Vietnamese Armed Forces could establish backchannels to warn each other of any potential military threats posed by the People’s Liberation Navy’s movements around the South China Sea, without openly engaging in military cooperation that could draw strong actions from China and Russia.
Strategic Cooperation Remains Strong
Hanoi seeks to advance its interests amid rising economic and technological competition in the Indo-Pacific, and growing American investments will only propel Vietnam’s marketing efforts further. Simultaneously, Washington gains a growing economic and diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia.
To further a growing relationship, the United States can also further reconciliation efforts in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, as many of Vietnam’s demographic majority and elderly still remember the scars and brutality of American aggression in the Indochina conflicts. In its second year, Hanoi and Washington continue to grow ties through several key sectors that advance both countries’ national interests and further open opportunities between the East and West.
Rebuilding and rewriting the wrongs of the past, the United States reached out to Vietnam to solidify a comprehensive strategic partnership, which is decades in the making and a landmark agreement long envisioned by Ho Chi Minh. With opportunities to expand into the technology, economic, and trade sectors, Hanoi and Washington continue to strengthen bilateral ties in the second year of the partnership.
About the Author: Julian McBride
Julian McBride is a forensic anthropologist and independent journalist born in New York. He is the founder and director of the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW), an anthropological NGO which aims to tell the stories of the victims of war through art therapy. As a former Marine, he uses this technique not only to help heal PTSD but also to share people’s stories through art, which conveys “the message of the brutality of war better than most news organizations.” Julian is also a new 19FortyFive Contributing Editor.
Horsemen-of-the-Apolcalypse
May 1, 2025 at 2:38 pm
It was a very terrible and unspeakable, unforgivable error in 1964 when LBJ concocted the phony (2nd) gulf of Tonkin ‘attack’ that misled Congress right into the Vietnam war.
The Vietnam war resulted in over 5 million human casualties, including mass civilian victims of napalm strikes in south Vietnam which are banned today.
Then there were the victims of agent orange, again in south Vietnam, supposedly a place US was protecting.
Today, US defense secretary Pete hegseth is making the same type of mistake as that made by LBJ.
He has called to support new Delhi and said it has the right to self-defense even as news spread it’s about to strike militarily in may 2025.
Hegseth, LBJ, the american msm, the DoD, state dept, lockheed and amkor and Nike are all cast from the same defective American mold, maverick trump’s huge massive retaliatory tarrifs notwithstanding.
waco
May 1, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Latest rumors say mike waltz has been dropped by president trump, but this would be a wrong move.
The person to leave should be peter hegseth, the fully amateur-rank of secretary of defense.
Hegseth has been bombing Yemen, a nation already long suffering from over-bombing. By Saudis.
Hegseth can never hold a candle to Melvin laird, the US defense secretary under nixon.
What did laird say in 1969.
The American people are fed up with war.
Away with hegseth.
JingleBells
May 1, 2025 at 6:45 pm
America has learned absolutely nothing from its nam experience.
Nothing. Zilch. Zero.
In 1965, president Johnson ordered air strikes to initiate the famous US nam war.
In Feb 1965, USAF assets began air attacks on north Vietnam through operation Flaming Dart.
That was followed by operation Rolling Thunder in march 1965.
Today, US is busily bombing yemen, in a replay of Vietnam.
After unloading millions of tons of bombs and other ordnance on nam and nearby places, US now in a deep romantic tango with nam.
Yemrn ? Will US have same tango with Yemen in the future.Yikes.
PseudoExpertent
May 2, 2025 at 6:18 am
No reason now why America and Vietnam can’t get closer.
During the Vietnam war, from the early sixties to 1973, America dropped over five million tons of bombs on Vietnam,
From high explosive bombs to retardation bombs, to delayed-action bombs, cluster bombs, mines, phosphorous bombs and napalm bombs. One of the worse affected provinces was Quang Tri.
Where some people today still use primitive metal detectors and garden hoes to remove non-activated bombs.
You can’t get closer than that.
And Laos. America dropped 2.5 million tons on the impoverished nation. Which never declared war. On anybody.
One ton of bomb for every man, woman and child in the country.
America the beautiful they say.
Jim
May 2, 2025 at 9:59 am
Turning swords in plowshares is a good thing.
Vietnam and the United States have good relations as I understand it.
We should build on those cordial relations.
It took a long time to get over the Vietnam War experience between the two nations, harder for the United States to get over it and move on, but Vietnam suffered far more casualties than the U. S.
Also, Vietnam borders China and has been a historical opponent to their would-be hegemonic neighbor to the North.
The United States and Vietnam have mutual interests and concerns which can be emphasized. Trade is part of that relationship.
The balance of trade should be looked at and examined and see what would be desirable under the current circumstances.
That after such a bitter experience for many in the U. S., it’s a positive sign and maybe instructive for U. S. foreign policy more generally.
Threats, bullying, and force is not the direction the United States should go, but a more sophisticated policy approach which, over the long-term, builds cordial relationships based on mutual interests.
Strong, positive relations with other countries is should be the goal, not Full-Spectrum Dominance.
What did Full-Spectrum Dominance get us in Vietnam? Nothing but ashes and 58,000 dead Americans.
We have to do better.
M Segur
May 3, 2025 at 6:44 am
American aggression in Vietnam mentioned but no questioning of the aggression of Ho Chi Mihn’s communists who forced a unification that many in the Republic of Vietnam did not want?
Someone has swallowed an American leftist, and very simplistic narrative of that war. Try interviewing Vietnamese who fled Ho’s communist paradise and a more nuanced view will emerge.
Mark Falcoff
May 4, 2025 at 8:20 am
I wish someone would explain to me why at the end of the day it was necessary to sacrifice 55,000 American lives and untold billions just so we could be an ally of these people?