Defense cooperation and shared security interests in Vietnam have been expanding, said Jedidiah P. Royal, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs. 

On Sept. 9, 2023, President Joe Biden traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, where the two countries took steps to elevate relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing cooperation across a range of diplomatic, economic and defense industrial endeavors, among others, said Royal, who spoke today at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s 3rd Annual Dialogue On War Legacies and Peace in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

On Sept. 9, a year later, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to continue strengthening ties with Vietnam as he met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang at the Pentagon.   

Austin said the U.S. remains focused on overcoming the legacies of war as the two countries continue to build on the recent elevation of U.S.-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

A key part of the defense cooperation is continuing to address consequences of the Vietnam War, including accounting for those missing in action, both U.S. and all Vietnamese combatants, as well as Agent Orange cleanup and removing unexploded ordnance, Royal said. 

Also, about 700,000 unexploded ordnances have been removed, Royal said, while also educating the local populace on the dangers of unexploded mines. 

Currently, Vietnam has helped identify 700 Americans killed during the war and assisted in repatriating them to their families for burial with full military honors, he said. 

“These activities generate confidence and trust between our nations,” Royal said. 

Today’s efforts include boosting industrial base resilience and strengthening Vietnam’s maritime awareness and defense capabilities, he said.  

Vietnam welcomed a port visit by the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche at Cam Ranh, Vietnam in July, he noted. 

Vietnam also hosted a multilateral Pacific Partnership mission and a Pacific Angel humanitarian response mission in August, he added. 

Nations across the Indo-Pacific and the United States are converging around enduring beliefs: “Respect for sovereignty and international law, the free flow of commerce and ideas, freedom of navigation in the skies and on the seas, equal dignity for every person and peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue, not coercion or conflict,” Royal said. 

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