Vietnam – US story: Former enemies and now partners

US-Vietnam relations have come a long way over the past few decades. In the 1980s of the last century, Vietnam once feared the US was "a factor threatening world peace, and especially causing serious threats to security and stability in Asia."

Today Vietnam regards the US as a significant stabilizing factor in the Asia Pacific region.

In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue held on May 31, 2013 in Singapore, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung welcomed US participation in the dialogue as a power in the region, saying along with China, the US would assume the major role representing the interests of the region and globe.

Two factors have prompted these core changes: the need for a strong reform to avoid economic recession in the 1980s and challenges in order to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Vietnam. In this context, the US has played a crucial role in meeting Vietnam’s needs.

Efforts to overcome the lack of confidence led to the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two former ‘enemies’ in 1995. The illegal acts by China in the East Sea and the cohesion of the Vietnam-US strategic interests have rapidly improved their bilateral security relations.

Progress made on the diplomatic front was evidenced by Vietnamese and US leaders’ exchange visits. Bill Clinton-the first US President, and William Cohen- the first Defence Secretary- visited Vietnam in 2000.  Phan Van Khai- the first Prime Minister of Vietnam visited the US in June 2005, followed by the 2007 visit by former President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is scheduled to pay an official visit to the US this year and he will be the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to tour the US.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung (L) met with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the East  Asia Summit (EAS) in November 2014.

The lifting of the US trade embargo against Vietnam in 1994 ushered in a new era of economic cooperation, bringing about a comprehensive bilateral trade cooperation agreement in 2000, normalized trade relations in 2006, and Vietnam’s entry to the WTO in January, 2007.

As a result, bilateral trade volume between the two nations jumped from US$451 million in 1995 to nearly US$35 billion in 2014. US direct investment in Vietnam increased from US$126 million in 2000 to US$11 billion in 2013.

Negotiations on Vietnam’s involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) are still unfinished.

For Vietnam, the TPP could have certain risks but it would provide the nation with strategic interests in terms of economics and politics, including the recognition of Vietnam's economy market. For the US, the TPP would provide a solid economic basis for its strategy rotating to Asia. But the US Congress’ unratified Trade Promotion Authority Bill remains a major obstacle.

Bilateral military cooperation has advanced remarkably since 2009 when the US and Vietnam were closely linked by security interests. In 2009, China filed the ‘nine-dot line’ claim validating its sovereignty of up to 80% of the East Sea.

Additionally, China illegally placed the Haiyang Shiyou-981 rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in 2014.

Recently, China has embarked on a large-scale project to turn reefs into islands to serve military purposes. Despite having no sovereignty disputes in the region, the US considered the actions and claim of China illegal, and opposed the use of force to coerce or change the status quote of disputed areas.

The US has pledged to help Vietnam enhance defensive capacity by partly removing its ban on arms sales and provided US$18 million for Vietnam to improve the capacity of its coast guard. The US and Vietnam also agreed to upgrade the comprehensive partnership and cooperation at multilateral forums.

Although there has been much progress, the two sides still have differences in the rights to freedom of religion, speech and cyber security. Vietnam's legal reform efforts to protect personnel freedom are unlikely to meet the US expectation.

Over the past years, Vietnam-US relations have not achieved mutual trust. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called for the building of a ‘strategic trust’ between the two countries and the building of the ‘strategic trust’ is nearly within reach.

Apart from the commitments to ‘respect each other's political system’, education and training cooperation is the key to building the confidence. Many of the 16,000 Vietnamese students in the US are children of Vietnamese leaders. Graduates from US universities are no longer suspected, but have been placed in important positions.

A key factor in the closer bilateral ties has been demonstrated by the increased frequency of visits by senior Vietnamese leaders to the US with a view to establishing relationships with their counterparts, including trips by ministers and municipal and provincial leaders to the prestigious Harvard University to attend seminars.

The exchange of teachers and students in the field of education and training can generate more common values and mutual benefit, thus providing a firm foundation for deepening mutual understanding and trust and stepping up closer cooperation towards a long-term and sound relationship in the future.