1.

Interesting information about Vietnam war:

a) Name: The Vietnam War is known for 3 names

- Vietnam War: This is a commonly and internationally used name for the conflict, referring to the war
between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, with the involvement of the United States.

- The Second Indochina War: This name is used because the war extended beyond Vietnam border into
neighboring nations including Cambodia and Laos, also to distinguish with the first Indochina War.

- Resistance War against America: This is the name used by the Vietnamese government, which asserts that
the war was a resistance against the US government’s plot to divide and conquer Vietnam, along with its
local collaborators.

● Some opinions around the names:

- Some argue against using “resistance war against America” because it does not acknowledge the presence of
Vietnamese individuals who fought alongside the US forces.

- However, others believe that throughout history, Vietnam has had numerous struggles against foreign
powers, with Vietnamese individuals involved in the war, so the name can still be considered acceptable.
 Eg: Tran Ich Tac surrendered to the Mongol invaders in the past when the Yuan dynasty invaded Vietnam,
Tran Ich Tac surrendered his family and worked for the Chinese government.

Hoang Van Hoan (vice chairman of the national assembly) supported China in 1979 when the
relationship between Vietnam and China became tense, he lost his voice with a pro-China stance, and later
he fled to China and made statements supporting China ‘s attack on Vietnam.

b) Timeframe:

- According to documents from the US Department of Defense, the Vietnam War is considered to have begun
on November 1, 1955, when the US military assistance advisory group (MAAG) in Vietnam was established

- From the Vietnam perspective, the war is counted from 1947 when the United States started providing
assistance to France for its continued involvement in Vietnam. (By 1948, there were about 100000 French
troops present in Vietnam with equipment and weapons supplied by the US)

- The Vietnam war ended on April 30,1975, when president Duong Van Minh of the Republic of Vietnam
(south Vietnam) unconditionally surrendered to the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the republic of
south Vietnam.

2. Causes of Vietnam War:

a) The power struggle between France and Ho Chi Minh:

- With the support of socialist countries like China and the Soviet Union, Ho Chi Minh led the successful
resistance of the Vietnamese people against the France.

- However, according to the Geneva Accords signed in 1954, Vietnam was divided into 2 regions, North and
South, at the 17th parallel. Efforts were made to reunify the 2 regions, but they faced opposition from the
government of Ngo Dinh Diem and other pro-US forces so the proposals were not approved

+) The North was under the leadership of Presiden Ho Chi Minh and was building a socialist society with
support from countries such as the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and North Korea.

+) The South was governed by a capitalist republic led by President Ngo Dinh Diem, with backing from anti-
communist countries like South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and especially the United States.

⇨ This created a power struggle between Ho Chi Minh and France who were defeated by Vietminh at Dien

Bien Phu in 1954.

⇨ The reason for U.S. support for Ngo Dinh Diem's presidency was that the U.S. believed he could be seen as

an anti-communist figure and the most capable person to defeat the Viet Minh and potentially replace Ho
Chi Minh as the leader of the country. In other words, among many political figures who did not align with
the Viet Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem stood out to the U.S. due to his anti-French and anti-communist stance. He
was even described by the CIA as "a man who wants it all or nothing." Additionally, compared to other
 figures of that time who were only fluent in Vietnamese and French, Ngo Dinh Diem had spent several years
living in the U.S., building a reputation and seeking support from the U.S. government, which allowed him
to communicate fluently in English.

b) The domino theory:

- The theory stated that if one communist country fell to communism, then other countries in its region would
too.

- That is the reason why the United States intervened in Vietnam, as they believed that opposing communism
would help maintain American influence in the East Asian region, especially because North Vietnam was in
the process of building socialism with the support of the Soviet Union and China since 1950.

- President Eisenhower requested that the US provide financial aid of $200 million to support the war against
three countries: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, out of fear that if these three countries fell into the hands of
communism, it would significantly affect American interests in the Southeast Asian region.

c) Cold War politics:

- South Vietnam was involved in the Cold War because it felt threatened by China, an ally of North Vietnam.
As a result, this made them closer allies to the US.
- This began when North Korean soldiers invaded South Korea in 1950. Since then, there was a battle over
who would be in power in Southeast Asia. America viewed this war as communism versus capitalism, which
turned it into part of the Cold War conflict.
- Domestic politics played a major role in US involvement because many Americans expected their
government to protect them during times of crisis. The media portrayed communists as evil and made it
seem like they were on the verge of taking over at any moment, so people expected intervention from
Washington.
- Popular opinion was that politicians couldn't show weakness or communism would spread. This caused an
immense amount of public pressure to help South Vietnam.

d) The Gulf of Tonkin:

- On August 2, 1964, the USS Maddox, while conducting intelligence-gathering patrols, was approached by
three Vietnamese Navy P4 torpedo boats, which engaged the Maddox with torpedoes and machine gun fire.
The outcome of the engagement resulted in one US aircraft being damaged, four Vietnamese sailors killed,
and six others wounded. In contrast, the USS Maddox emerged unscathed except for a single bullet hole
from Vietnam's machine gun fire.
- On August 4, 1964, the US claimed that American vessels were under attack by Vietnamese warships.
Despite doubts about the accuracy of this information, President Johnson relied on these reports to present a
distorted interpretation of the situation at the time and used it as a justification to initiate the air strike
campaign against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
3. Main events of Vietnam war:
- March-May 1954: French troops are humiliated in defeat by Viet Minh forces at Dien Bien Phu. The defeat
solidifies the end of French rule in Indochina.
- April 1954: In a speech, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower says the fall of French Indochina to
communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. This so-called domino theory guides U.S.
thinking on Vietnam for the next decade.
- July 1954: The Geneva Accords establish North and South Vietnam with the 17th parallel as the dividing
line. The agreement also stipulates that elections are to be held within two years to unify Vietnam under a
single democratic government. These elections never happen.
- 1955: Catholic nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem emerges as the leader of South Vietnam, with U.S. backing, while
Ho Chi Minh leads the communist state to the north.
- May 1959: North Vietnam forces begin to build a supply route through Laos and Cambodia to South
Vietnam in an effort to support guerrilla attacks against Diem’s government in the south. The route becomes
known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail and is greatly expanded and enhanced during the Vietnam War.
- January 1962: In Operation Ranch Hand, U.S. aircraft start spraying Agent Orange and other herbicides
over rural areas of South Vietnam to kill vegetation that would offer cover and food for guerrilla forces.
- January 1963: At Ap Bac South Vietnamese troops are defeated by a much smaller unit of Viet Cong
fighters. The South Vietnamese are overcome despite their four-to-one advantage and the technical and
planning assistance of U.S. advisers.
- May 1963: In a major incident of what becomes known as the “Buddhist Crisis,” the government of Ngo
Dinh Diem opens fire on a crowd of Buddhist protestors in the central Vietnam city of Hue. Eight people,
including children, are killed.
- June 1963: Thich Quang Duc immolates himself while sitting at a major city intersection in protest, leading
other Buddhists to follow suit in coming weeks. The United States’ already declining confidence in Diem’s
leadership continues to slide.
- November 1963: The United States backs a South Vietnam military coup against the unpopular Diem,
which ends in the brutal killing of Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu. Between 1963 and 1965, 12
different governments take the lead in South Vietnam as military coups replace one government after
another.
- November 1963: President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson becomes
president.
- August 1964: USS Maddox on an espionage mission is attacked by North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats
in the Gulf of Tonkin. A second attack on the Maddox and another U.S. ship in the Gulf is alleged, but likely
never occurred, according to National Security Agency documents declassified in 2005. The incidents lead
President Johnson to call for air strikes on North Vietnamese patrol boat bases. Two U.S. aircraft are shot
down and one U.S. pilot, Everett Alvarez Jr., becomes the first U.S. airman to be taken prisoner by North
Vietnam. The attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin spur Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which
authorizes the president to “take all necessary measures, including the use of armed force” against any
aggressor in the conflict.
- March 1965: President Johnson launches a three-year campaign of sustained bombing of targets in North
Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Operation Rolling Thunder. The same month, U.S. Marines land on
beaches near Da Nang, South Vietnam as the first American combat troops to enter Vietnam, making US
troop numbers in Vietnam rise to 400,000.
- February 1967: U.S. aircraft bomb Haiphong Harbor and North Vietnamese airfields.
- January 1968: The Tet Offensive begins, encompassing a combined assault of Viet Minh and North
Vietnamese armies. Attacks are carried out in more than 100 cities and outposts across South Vietnam,
including Hue and Saigon, and the U.S. Embassy is invaded. The effective attacks shock U.S. officials and
mark a turning point in the war and the beginning of a gradual U.S. withdrawal from the region.
- 1969-1972: The Nixon administration gradually reduces the number of U.S. forces in South Vietnam,
placing more burden on the ground forces of South Vietnam’s ARVN as part of a strategy known
as Vietnamization. U.S. troops in Vietnam are reduced from a peak of 549,000 in 1969 to 69,000 in 1972.
- February 1970: U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger begins secret peace negotiations with
Hanoi politburo member Le Duc Tho in Paris.
- December 1972: The strategic bombing campaign by U.S. B-52 bombers against Hanoi during the
Christmas bombing campaign was defeated in the "Battle of Dien Bien Phu in the air."
- January 27, 1973: The Paris Peace Accords were signed. The United States committed to ending its
invasion of Vietnam, respecting the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam,
withdrawing all U.S. and allied forces from South Vietnam without military involvement or interference in
the internal affairs of South Vietnam. The last American soldiers withdrew from South Vietnam.
- March 10, 1975: The liberation of Buon Ma Thuot marked the beginning of the general offensive and
uprising in the spring of 1975.
- March 24, 1975: The liberation of the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen).
- March 26, 1975: The liberation of Hue.
- March 29, 1975: The liberation of Da Nang.
- April 26, 1975: The start of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign (the final campaign of the South Vietnamese
Liberation Army in the general offensive and uprising of 1975).
- April 30, 1975: The unconditional surrender of president Duong Van Minh of South Vietnam marked the
end of Vietnam War.

4. Consequences of Vietnam War:

a) On US side:
- The cost in lives was enormous. Over almost 20 years, more than 2,7 million Americans served in uniform
in the conflict, and around 53,318 lost their lives. Thousands of US veterans suffered from post-traumatic
disorder and tried to readjust on their return home.
- Changes in military policy and voting age: The Vietnam War led to the replacement of the draft system with
a volunteer force. Additionally, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18, expanding political participation
for young people.
+) The Vietnam War generated strong opposition and anti-war movements within American society. Many
Americans disagreed with continued involvement in distant wars that did not seem to bring about victory. The
anti-war movement exerted significant pressure to change military policies and end the war, as they believed
the Vietnam War was an unjust conflict and that the U.S. military had used excessive force in overthrowing the
government of the Republic of Vietnam. They demanded limitations on military deployment and increased
democratic decision-making in matters of war.
- Limiting presidential power: The war gave rise to the War Powers Act, a measure used by Congress to
restrict the President's ability to deploy U.S. military forces into war without clear approval from Congress.
This was done to prevent potential abuses of power by the President in the future.
- Refugees and economic recovery: The arrival of Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. partially had a positive
impact, as they helped revitalize inner-city neighborhoods and contributed to the revitalization of urban
areas.
- Impact on the economy:
+) War costs: The Vietnam War cost the U.S. approximately $1.2 trillion. This expenditure had a significant
imp act on the national budget, leading to financial shortages and increased national debt.
+) Increased defense spending and reduced investment: The Vietnam War required increased military personnel
and activities, leading to higher defense spending while reducing investment in areas such as infrastructure,
education, healthcare, and technological research and development.
+) Inflation and tax increases: Despite implementing various fiscal policies to curb inflation, tax increases
placed additional burdens on businesses and the American population, affecting purchasing power and
economic growth.
+) Labor market effects: The substantial increase in military service personnel caused labor shortages in various
industries. Additionally, the reintegration of veterans and returning individuals posed significant challenges to
society and the U.S. economy.
- Weakened military morale and international commitments: The failure in Vietnam weakened the morale of
the U.S. military for a period of time and undermined the country's commitment to internationalism. This
included:
+) Invasion and violation of sovereignty: Violating the principles of internationalism regarding respect for
sovereignty and non-interference in a country's internal affairs.
+) Use of weapons and mass destruction: The U.S. employed tactics such as landmines and Agent Orange,
causing severe consequences for civilians and the environment, breaching commitments to safeguard human
rights and protect the environment.
+) Violation of human rights: Torture, civilian massacres, and atrocities committed during the war.
+) Military strategy: Creating uncertainty and confusion within the enemy camp, making them unsure of the
exact strength and capabilities of the U.S.
+) Impact on negotiations: Using military strength to gain an advantage in post-war negotiations.

⇨ In the 1970s and 1980s, the United States became wary of involvement in other international conflicts,

fearing a repetition of a second Vietnam War.

 - Division within the Democratic Party: A 1964 survey showed that 60% of the population identified as
Democrats, and the party had won 7 out of the previous 9 presidential elections. However, the war caused
many voters to become concerned, and some even became independent or switched to the Republican Party.

⇨ This led to a decline in motivation and confidence in the U.S. government

b) On Vietnam side:
- The victory putting an end to 117 years of Western colonialism and domination imposed on our country.
- Vietnam has successfully repelled invading forces, achieved national reunification, connecting from the
northernmost point in Ha Giang to the southernmost tip of Ca Mau, and maintained sovereignty over its seas
and islands (except for Hoang Sa and some islands in Truong Sa, which are still illegally occupied by
foreign powers).
- Loss of lives:
+) In the history of World War, Vietnam was the most heavily bombed nation, with three times the number of
bombs used in World War II.
+) The United States also employed chemical weapons, conducted deforestation and defoliation campaigns in the
southern region through Operation Ranch Hand, transforming dense forests into barren hills and mountains,
aiming to destroy military bases and hiding places of the Vietnamese army during the fighting.
+) 3-5 million Vietnamese people died in the war, with millions of others injured and disabled.
+ 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the toxic effects of Agent Orange, resulting in long-term health
and environmental consequences.

5. American foreign policy after war:

- 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the war still casts long shadows
over American life. Americans struggled to make sense of events in Vietnam. They had to come to terms
with the reality that they had lost a war for the first time in the country’s history. Disturbing images of the
war made them question US foreign policy's wisdom and morality. US soldiers returning from Southeast
Asia were received with mixed feelings: anger and hostility in some cases, but mostly indifference and a
desire to forget and move on. In the decades following the conflict's end, the national trauma still shaped
many aspects of American politics, society and culture.

- Vietnam syndrome:
+) Since the end of the Vietnam war, most Americans have looked with fear at any US intervention or use of force
abroad that might end up in another long and bloody situation. In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers
Resolution designed to limit the president’s ability to commit forces to conflicts without congressional support.
This so-called Vietnam syndrome, a phrase apparently coined by President Richard Nixon, has been haunting US
foreign and military policy ever since.
+) Also in a speech, President Ronald Reagan criticised former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter for being
constrained by the ghost of Vietnam and showing weakness and overcaution in international affairs. Trying to
reinvigorate US foreign policy and put Vietnam in the past, he used bold rhetoric to tell Americans to stop feeling
guilty about the devastation brought about by the war and stop questioning the morality of the war because
America had fought for “a noble cause”. Yet, in practice, his foreign policy was deeply influenced by persistent
anxiety about getting into a new quagmire.
+) Later in 1983, Reagan’s military intervention in Grenada was wrapped in secret to avoid any preparation by the
communist in control of the island but also to prevent an anti-interventionist Congress from leaking to the press
with the fear that Grenada was going to become another Vietnam. A year later, following the death of Beirut
barracks, Reagan withdrew US forces from Lebanon because he didn’t want to repeat the Vietnam experience in
the Middle East.

+) Similarly, President George H.W. Bush was careful to prevent the Gulf War of 1990-91 from turning into
another Vietnam. To ensure that US intervention had the moral legitimacy Vietnam had lacked, he secured United
Nations backing and led a coalition of 35 countries to eject Iraq forces out of Kuwait. The quick victory led Bush
to declare: “By God, we have kicked the Vietnam Syndrome once and for all.”
+) During the term of President Bill Clinton, as he declared during the 1998-99 Kosovo war that putting US boots
on the ground was an option to avoid at all costs.
- Detente and Arms Control: The United States shifted towards a policy of detente, seeking to ease tensions
and improve relations with the Soviet Union and China. This approach involved negotiations and arms
control agreements, such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and the establishment of diplomatic
relations with China.
- Non-Intervention and Wariness of Major Conflicts: The Vietnam War led to a wariness of large-scale
military interventions and a desire to avoid getting entangled in protracted conflicts. This led to a more
cautious approach to the use of military force and a preference for diplomatic and economic tools to address
international challenges.
- Economic Engagement and Globalization: The United States embraced economic engagement and
globalization as a means to promote prosperity and stability. This included policies aimed at expanding
trade, opening markets, and promoting economic development worldwide.

6. American – Vietnam relation after war:

- The end of the Vietnam War in 1975 was marked by bitterness on both sides, but particularly so in the
United States, where the conflict had divided the nation and led to significant loss of life and resources. In
the years following the war, diplomatic relations between the two countries were nonexistent, and Vietnam
was isolated from the international community.
- After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnam was left in a state of political and economic turmoil. The country
was ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the new government’s policies aimed to eliminate the
 remnants of the old regime and consolidate power. This led to a period of political repression and economic
mismanagement, which contributed to Vietnam’s international isolation.

- Following the Vietnam War, Vietnam pursued the establishment of diplomatic relations with the United
States. This was initially to obtain US$3.3billion in reconstruction aid, which U.S. president Richard Nixon
had secretly promised after the Paris Peace Accords were signed, in the form of a letter offering a specific
figure. In June 1975, Vietnamese Premier Phạm Văn Đồng, speaking to the National Assembly, invited the
U.S. to normalize relations with Vietnam and to honor its commitment to provide reconstruction funds.
Representatives of two American banks—the Bank of America and First National City Bank—were invited
to Hanoi to discuss trade possibilities, and American oil companies were informed that they were welcome
to apply for concessions to search for oil in Vietnamese waters.

- However, the U.S. government neglected Đồng's call for normalized relations and the U.S. also applied
a trade embargo against Vietnam in 1975. In response to Vietnam, the administration of U.S.
president Gerald Ford imposed a precondition for normal relations by announcing that a full accounting of
American POWs (prioners of war) and MIA (missing in action), including the return of any remains, would
be required before normalization attempts. No concessions were made on either side until U.S.
president Jimmy Carter softened the American demand from a full accounting to simply the
fullest possible accounting, and dispatched a diplomatic mission to Vietnam in 1977 to initiate normalization
discussions.
- Although Vietnam was initially determine about American economic, the condition was dropped in mid-
1978, when Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyễn Cơ Thạch and the U.S. government reached an agreement
in principle on normalization, but the date was left vague. When Thạch urged November 1978, the U.S.
government was noncommittal: at that time, the U.S. was already attempting to normalize relations with
China; relations between Vietnam and China were strained at the time—eventually deteriorating into
the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979—and the U.S. did not wish to risk their relations with China by
normalizing relations with one of China's enemies. The Vietnamese government responded by formalizing
their relations with the Soviet Union. Their original hope, however, had been to gain both diplomatic
recognition from the United States and a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union, as a double guarantee
against future Chinese interference. In the U.S., the issue of normalizing relations with Vietnam was
complicated by the Cambodian–Vietnamese War, the Vietnamese refugee crisis, and the unresolved POW
and MIA issues, with U.S. President Ronald Reagan continuing to enforce the trade embargo and postponing
normalization as long as Vietnamese troops occupied Cambodia.

- Beginning in mid-1978, however, Vietnam dropped its insistence that the MIA and aid questions be resolved
as a precondition for normalization, and stopped linking the MIA issue to other unresolved matters between
the two countries. As additional signs of goodwill, Hanoi permitted the joint U.S.-Vietnamese excavation of
a B-52 crash site in 1985, and returned the remains of a number of American service members between 1985
and 1987. Vietnamese spokesmen also claimed during this period to have a two-year plan to resolve the MIA
question, but did not reveal details.
- Although Vietnam's Sixth National Party Congress in December 1986 officially paid little attention to
restoring diplomatic relations with the U.S., the report of the Congress noted that Vietnam was continuing to
hold talks with the U.S. on humanitarian issues, and expressed a readiness to improve relations. Although
ambivalent in tone, the message was more positive than the 1982 Fifth National Party Congress report,
which had attributed the stalemated relationship to American "hostile policy." The improved wording was
attributable to the influence of newly appointed Party General Secretary Nguyễn Văn Linh, who was
expected to attach high priority to expanding Vietnam's links with the West. Despite signs of improvement,
in mid-1987, the Vietnamese government, having determined that cooperation had gained few concessions
from the U.S. However, a meeting between Vietnamese leaders and Reagan's special envoy on MIAs, in
August 1987 yielded significant gains for both sides: in exchange for greater Vietnamese cooperation on
resolving the MIA issue, the U.S. agreed to officially encourage charitable assistance for Vietnam. Although
the agreement fell short of Hanoi's requests for economic aid or war reparations, it marked the first time that
the U.S. had offered anything in return for Vietnamese assistance in accounting for the MIAs, and was an
important step toward rapprochement.

- In December 2003, the United States and Vietnam signed a Bilateral Air Transport Agreement. Direct flights
between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco began in December 2004.[ Vietnam and the United States also
signed a bilateral Maritime Agreement in March 2007 that opened the maritime transport and services
 industry of Vietnam to U.S. firms. In 2011 the U.S. banks agreed to invest $1.5 billion in Vietnamese
infrastructure.

- According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Vietnam's defense policy is based on the "Four 'No's"
principle: no military alliances, no foreign troops stationed on Vietnamese soil, no partnering with a foreign
power to combat another, and no force or threatening to use force in international relations. This was
historically "Three 'No's"; however, the fourth, denouncing the use of force, was added in the December
2019 "National Defense White Paper", which also stated that Vietnam is willing to allow ships from other
countries to dock at its ports. Cooperation between the United States and Vietnam in other areas, such as
defense, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and law enforcement, is expanding steadily.

- The territorial disputes in the South China Sea with China, which has become more assertive in its territorial
claims, has also gradually strengthened relations between Vietnam. With Vietnam's historically complex
relationship with China that included past territorial disputes, Vietnam feels that Chinese claims and actions
in the South China Sea threaten its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In this regard, American and
Vietnamese security interests align as they oppose Chinese in the South China Sea. In April 2013, following
increased tensions between Vietnamese fishing vessels and the China Coast Guard, which peaked a month
prior after a Chinese warning flare accidentally set a Vietnamese fishing boat ablaze, the Vietnam People's
Navy and U.S. Coast Guard cooperated to improve security in Vietnamese waters and resolve confrontations
between Vietnamese fishers and Chinese vessels. In return, when asked about the killing of Osama bin
Laden in 2011, Nguyen Phuong Nga, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam, agreed with
 American counterterrorism measures, saying, "Terrorists must bear responsibility for their acts and should be
severely punished. Vietnam will continue to join the international community in the fight against terrorism,
based on the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, to eliminate terrorism."

- In October 2013, the United States and Vietnam signed a pact allowing for the transfer of nuclear fuel and
technology from the U.S. to Vietnam, which is already working with Russia to complete its first nuclear
plant by 2014 to meet its rising energy demands, with an American official noting that, "Vietnam is actively
taking steps now toward development of a robust domestic infrastructure to support a nuclear energy
program." In line with its more active engagement with Vietnam, the U.S. has provided funds and equipment
for Vietnamese naval capabilities. In 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. would
provide Vietnam with $18 million to enhance the capacity of its coast guard.[56]

- Additionally, the U.S. and Vietnam also cooperate in the Clean Energy Sector. In 2014, the U.S.
Ambassador to Vietnam announced the U.S. was providing technical assistance for developing wind
power systems in Vietnam.

- In early October 2014, the U.S. approved a relaxation of its longstanding arms embargo on Vietnam. In May
2016, President Barack Obama announced the full lifting of the embargo during his visit to Vietnam.

- In May 2017, the U.S. delivered six 45-foot Defiant-class patrol boats to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The
cooperation in matters of their naval capabilities suggests that US shared security concerns over the South
China Sea has strengthened the U.S.-Vietnam military relationship