 "Hegseth in Vietnam to mark 30 years of US–Vietnam ties, pledges to focus on healing war wounds")
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Vietnam on Sunday, reaffirming a partnership rooted in healing the scars of the Vietnam War in a visit that will test Washington’s ability to reassure a vital but cautious partner.
Hegseth said addressing the legacies of the war, which ended 50 years ago in April, “remains the foundation of our defense relationship and a top priority for this administration and the Department of Defence.”
The visit also marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between the former adversaries and two years since they elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — Vietnam’s highest diplomatic status. Hegseth arrived in Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he attended a meeting of defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Postwar cooperation including clearing unexploded ordnance, recovering remains of missing U.S. service members, and cleaning up dioxin contamination from Agent Orange has formed the emotional and political backbone of US-Vietnam relations since normalization in 1995.
There had been concerns over the future of these projects after US funding cuts temporarily halted some cleanup operations before being restored.
Renewed US commitment to these efforts could help stabilise bilateral ties and “create space for further defence cooperation,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Vietnam Studies Program of Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
“War legacy cooperation is the foundation enabling deeper defense ties,” he said. “For Washington, it demonstrates long-term responsibility and goodwill to solve lingering war consequences. For Hanoi, it provides essential political cover for expanding relations with a former adversary.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGiang said the U.S. defense chief’s visit comes at a crucial moment. Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam, visited North Korea in early October — the first such trip in nearly two decades — while reports suggest Hanoi may pursue the purchase of 40 Russian Su-35 fighter jets. “Vietnam is hedging against doubts about U.S. reliability in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
The Associated Press has previously reported that Moscow and Hanoi have explored ways to maintain financial transactions despite U.S. sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
“Hegseth’s visit demonstrates Vietnam’s deliberate deepening of defense ties with the U.S., but strictly on Hanoi’s terms,” Giang said.
With inputs from agencies
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