U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegers visited Vietnam on Sunday to reaffirm a partnership built on healing the scars of the Vietnam War, a trip that will test Washington’s ability to appease an important but wary partner.
Hegseth said of the legacy of the war, The end of April 50 years ago, It remains the foundation and top priority of the defense relations between the two countries.
At the end of his meeting with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, Hegseth handed over a suitcase, a belt and a knife, all wartime artifacts taken by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.
The return has been part of a broader reconciliation effort between the two countries, with similar relics — including letters, identification tags and photos — returned to the United States in recent years.
“Today we will be exchanging artifacts and information from the war with the goal of helping family members in both countries find peace,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s visit also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two former foes, and two years since the two countries upgraded their ties. comprehensive strategic partnershipVietnam’s highest diplomatic status. He arrived in Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he attended a meeting of Vietnamese counterparts. Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Cooperation on postwar issues remains key to U.S.-Vietnam relations. Since normalizing relations in 1995, the two countries have cooperated to clear unexploded ordnance, recover the remains of missing service members and remove dioxin, the toxic chemical used in Agent Orange, from former U.S. Air Force bases. Continue to impact the community.
have There are concerns about the future of these efforts when U.S. funding for several programs is cut, Temporarily pause some cleanup work before resuming.
Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Vietnam Studies Program at Singapore’s Yusof Issa Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said the apparent recommitment to the projects could help stabilize relations and “create space” for further defense cooperation.
“War legacy cooperation is the basis for deepening defense relations,” he said. “For Washington, it demonstrates long-term responsibility and goodwill to address the lingering consequences of the war. For Hanoi, it provides important political cover for expanding ties with a former adversary.”
Jiang Zemin said that the US Secretary of Defense’s visit to China comes at a critical moment. Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam visited North Korea in early October, the first such trip in nearly two decades, while reports suggested Hanoi may seek to buy 40 Russian Su-35 fighter jets. “Vietnam is hedging doubts about U.S. reliability in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
The Associated Press has This follows reports that Moscow and Hanoi are exploring ways to maintain financial transactions despite U.S. sanctions Accused Russia of invading Ukraine.
“Hegers’ visit shows Vietnam’s intention to deepen defense ties with the United States, but strictly on Hanoi’s terms,” Jiang said.