Vietnam and the United States have transformed from erstwhile enemies into strategic allies, with ties now categorized as a “comprehensive strategic partnership” signed in 2023. The partnership involves robust economic relations, notably trade, security collaboration, and regional affairs, typically led by common approaches to containing Chinese assertiveness. The ties are marked by enhanced collaboration in political, economic, security, and people-to-people aspects, with the two nations striving to establish trust and address mutual objectives.
Key features of the relationship:
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: The 2023 promotion of the relationship to this new level gives a general framework for developing bilateral relations across all fields.
Economic Relations: Trade is a prominent element, with Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner being the U.S. and the U.S.’s eighth-largest being Vietnam in 2024. The relationship has expanded enormously since the U.S. ended its economic embargo in 1994.
Security Cooperation: The U.S. and Vietnam have strengthened defense cooperation and security relations, partly because of a common interest in regional security and Chinese expansion.
Regional and Political Cooperation: Vietnam and the U.S. collaborate on various regional and global matters, such as climate and energy issues, and have long engaged in dialogue on these issues.
Overcoming War Legacies: Efforts to deal with the remaining legacies of the Vietnam War, including unexploded ordnance and the impact of Agent Orange, have been an essential component of establishing deeper relationships.
People-to-People Links: Emphasis on establishing links between the two societies, including dialogue among youth.
Historical Context: Normalization of diplomatic relations in 1995 ushered a new era, but today’s relationship is founded upon a centuries-long process of changing engagement.
1. From War Ruins to Economic Powerhouse
- The video begins by comparing Vietnam’s then and now:
A land once devastated by U.S. bombings during the Vietnam War is now a manufacturing powerhouse, producing half of Nike’s global shoes.
• Hundreds of American companies — like Apple, Samsung, Adidas, Lululemon, and Abercrombie — have factories in Vietnam.
Key Idea: Vietnam, once destroyed by war, has become deeply tied to the U.S. economy through manufacturing and exports.
2.How Vietnam Became So Dependent on U.S. Trade
•As Vietnam’s economy (GDP) expanded, exports to the U.S. took off.
•Now, the United States is Vietnam’s biggest export market, with Vietnam selling more to America than to any other nation.
•This generated an enormous trade surplus — Vietnam sells much more to the U.S. than it buys from it — that Donald Trump made a political target, frequently singling out nations that ran large surpluses.
Trump threatened levies, saying Vietnam was exploiting America by imposing high taxes on American goods.
3.Why Losing Access to the U.S. Market Would Be Devastating
•Exports account for approximately 90% of Vietnam’s GDP, and roughly 30% of exports are destined to the U.S.
- If the U.S. put on heavy tariffs or restricted trade, Vietnam’s economy would take a big blow — factories might shut down, employees could lose their jobs, and foreign investment could decline.
- That’s why Vietnam’s government moved quickly to sign a trade agreement with the U.S. to prevent economic catastrophe.
🌏4.How Vietnam Became a Manufacturing Powerhouse
Post-War Struggles and Economic Reforms
•The Vietnam War ended in 1975, and the nation was among the world’s poorest — ruined infrastructure, minimal resources, and an economy kept tightly collectivized (state-controlled).
•Throughout the 1980s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the failing communist economies, Vietnam initiated Đổi Mới (Renovation) — a series of economic reforms to open up to foreign investment and capitalism.
- The government provided tax incentives, constructed industrial parks, and embraced foreign firms in search of lower-cost production platforms.
Outcome: Vietnam has received more than $600 billion in foreign capital since 1988 and established a reputation as politically stable, low-cost, skilled labor, and nearness to China — ideal for world supply chains.
5.How Trump’s Trade War Helped Vietnam (at First)
•In the first Trump administration (2017–2021), the U.S. put tariffs on Chinese products in the trade war against China.
•Several companies relocated their factories from China to Vietnam to escape those tariffs — a strategy known as “China Plus One.”
oExample: Shoe manufacturers began making more in Vietnam rather than China.
•Thus, Vietnam emerged as a major beneficiary of the U.S.–China trade war
6.Trump 2.0: A New Threat
•During the second Trump term (the video presupposes or fantasizes this continuation), America increases tariffs beyond China to slap them on Vietnam itself.
•Trump floated a 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports — a devastating hit.
•The government of Vietnam anticipated some tariffs but was surprised at how dramatic they were.
•Factories instantly felt demand plummet — one entrepreneur said container exports decreased from 1,000 monthly to just 100
- That resulted in job losses, factory shutdowns, and economic ripple effects throughout the entire economy.
7. Vietnam’s Diplomatic Approach: “Bamboo Diplomacy”
- Vietnam didn’t hesitate. It was amongst the very first countries to approach the Trump administration with an offer to negotiate.
- Officials vowed to purchase big American items such as planes and natural gas (LNG) in order to decrease the trade deficit.
•They succeeded — Trump subsequently declared that the two countries had signed a trade deal.
8.The U.S. Demand: Halt Aiding China in Dodging Tariffs
•One of Washington’s greatest fears was “trade fraud” — Chinese products routed through Vietnam, but presented as Vietnamese exports to escape U.S. tariffs.
•The U.S. demanded that Vietnam stop this, but it is extremely hard because:
otVietnamese factories are highly dependent on Chinese parts, machinery, and materials.
o Cutting China out would be like asking Mexico to forego trade with the U.S. — unthinkable because of extensive supply chain connections.
9. Caught Between the U.S. and China
- The U.S. is Vietnam’s largest export market, offering economic growth.
- But China is its largest trading partner and neighbor, with a long, complicated history — including a 1979 border war.
- It therefore needs to tread a tightrope — pleasing both superpowers while safeguarding its own. _
10.”Bamboo Diplomacy” Explained
- Vietnam refers to its foreign policy as “Bamboo Diplomacy.”
As flexible as bamboo bends with the wind — able to adapt to changing situations, yet not brittle enough to break. - It has mastered the art of “dancing between giants” — the U.S. and China — through diplomacy, neutrality, and economic engagement with both.
- In the future, Vietnam needs to pacify the U.S. (to maintain trade access) and stay friends with China (to maintain supply chains).
This is Vietnam’s “sweet spot” — being friendly with both powers without becoming reliant on either.
Does Vietnam have good relations with the US?
Key areas. The United States and Vietnam have a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest level in Vietnam’s hierarchy of diplomatic relations, with robust bilateral cooperation across all key areas that brings benefits to both countries.
Are Americans welcomed in Vietnam today?
Since it fully reopened for tourism in early 2022, becoming one of the first in SEA to drop entry rules and welcome U.S. travelers irrespective of vaccination status, demand for nationwide tourism has increased dramatically.
Which country has a good relationship with Vietnam?
China re-established full diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1991. The two nations concluded a land border demarcation agreement in 1999. In 1995, the US and Vietnam re-established diplomatic ties.
Is Vietnam a US or Chinese ally?
Relations between the two countries continued to improve into the 21st century. Vietnam is now considered to be a potential ally of the United States, especially in the geopolitical context of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and in the containment of Chinese expansionism.
Is Vietnam a Russian ally?
Vietnam joined the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance on June 28, 1978. Soviet military aid to Vietnam increased from $75-$125 million in 1977 to $600-$800 million in 1978. On November 3, 1978, Vietnam and the Soviet Union signed a formal military alliance.
Is the U.S. still paying reparations to Vietnam?
IRAQ was forced to pay full reparations for its war with Kuwait in 1990-91; payments were deducted from its UN-controlled oil revenues (1). But the United States has never paid a cent of reparations for its war in Vietnam, 1964-75.
How many Americans are still missing in Vietnam?
In 1973, the United States listed 2,646 Americans as unaccounted for from the entire Vietnam War. By October 2022, 1,582 Americans remained unaccounted for, of which 1,004 were classified as further pursuit, 488 as non-recoverable and 90 as deferred.
Why do Russians go to Vietnam?
Vietnam’s tropical climate, with warm sunshine year-round in coastal destinations like Nha Trang, Mui Ne, and Phu Quoc, makes it an ideal winter escape for Russian tourists. Many restaurants and hotels in popular tourist areas now offer Russian menus and employ Russian-speaking staff, insiders said.
Did the US fight Russia in Vietnam?
North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US.
⚖️ In Summary
- Vietnam emerged from post-war poverty to become a global factory hub closely tied to the U.S. economy.
- The U.S.–China trade war initially benefited, then harmed, Vietnam — demonstrating how susceptible it is to international power politics.
- Now, Vietnam has to walk the tightrope between U.S. pressure (trade, tariffs) and Chinese reliance (supply chains, geography).
- Its survival tactic — “Bamboo Diplomacy” — is to remain flexible, neutral, and pragmatic, bending with the political winds without breaking.
????️ Vietnam’s future depends on how well it can balance its two biggest partners — America and China — while keeping its economy open and stable.
