Hanoi, Vietnam – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Vietnam on Sunday to reaffirm a partnership built on healing the wounds of the Vietnam War in a trip that will test whether Washington can reassure a vital but wary partner.
Addressing the legacy of war, Hegseth said, Which ended 50 years ago in April, “It remains the foundation of our defense relationship and a top priority for this administration and the Department of Defense.”
Hegseth’s visit also marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between the former rivals and two years since they raised relations to a higher level. Comprehensive strategic partnershipthe highest diplomatic status in Vietnam. He arrived in Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he attended a meeting of his counterparts from Malaysia Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Cooperation on postwar issues remains the emotional and political foundation of US-Vietnam relations. Since the normalization of relations in 1995, the two countries have worked together to remove unexploded ordnance, recover the remains of missing service members, and clean up dioxin — the toxic chemical used in Agent Orange — from former U.S. air bases that were Continue to impact communities.
There was Concerns about the future of these efforts when U.S. funding for many programs was cut, Pause some cleaning work before resuming.
A clear recommitment to these projects could help stabilize relations and “create space” for greater defense cooperation, said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow in the Vietnam Studies Program at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“Cooperation on the legacy of war is the foundation that enables deeper defense relations,” he said. “For Washington, this shows long-term responsibility and good faith to resolve the war’s remaining consequences. For Hanoi, it provides essential political cover for expanding relations with a former adversary.”
Jiang said that the visit of the US Secretary of Defense comes at a crucial moment. Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam visited North Korea in early October – the first such trip in nearly two decades – while reports suggest Hanoi may seek to buy 40 Russian Su-35 fighter jets. “Vietnam is hedging against doubts about US reliability in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
The Associated Press has I previously reported that Moscow and Hanoi have explored ways to maintain financial transactions despite US sanctions On Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
“Hegseth’s visit shows Vietnam’s deliberate deepening of its defense ties with the United States, but strictly on Hanoi’s terms,” Giang said.
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