Nearly five decades after the fall of Saigon, U.S. will help Vietnam boost its military capabilities

Nearly fifty years after the fall of Saigon, the United States agreed to help build up Vietnam’s defense capabilities, a tacit acknowledgement that China poses a greater geopolitical challenge today to both nations than they do to each other.

President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng of the communist party of Vietnam agreed to “welcome further cooperation in defense industry and defense trade” between the two countries in a joint statement released Monday.

“The United States is committed to continuing to assist Vietnam to develop its self-reliant defense capabilities in accordance with the needs of Vietnam and established mechanism.”.

Vietnam upped the U.S.’s diplomatic status to a “comprehensive strategic partner,” the country’s highest tier placing the U.S. on par with China. Biden said the move represented how much relations have moved on from the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.