Copyright The New York Times
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth completed a two-day trip to Vietnam on Monday, seeking to reassure a wary partner with American promises to double down on joint efforts to address the wounds of the Vietnam War. Mr. Hegseth said the United States would commit another round of funding, worth $130 million, to clean up leftover toxins from herbicides like Agent Orange, which are still causing birth defects decades after the American military used them to strip the jungle of foliage. The United States also agreed to provide additional support for Vietnam’s efforts to find its own missing soldiers from the war with advanced DNA technology. The future of both programs had been in doubt earlier this year. The Trump administration’s elimination of United States Agency for International Development spurred a long pause and layoffs. Even after some U.S. funding resumed, Vietnamese officials questioned America’s commitment. When the president’s tariff wars followed (Hanoi is still negotiating a final trade deal) skepticism about American reliability intensified. Mr. Hegseth, during his visit, seemed eager to allay such concerns. He stressed that jointly tackling war legacy issues was a top priority and the foundation of a strong relationship. To emphasize the point, at the end of his talks with Vietnam’s defense minister, Phan Van Giang, Mr. Hegseth handed over a knife, belt and a leather box that had been taken by U.S. soldiers from a Vietnamese bunker outside Da Nang in 1968. Appealing to shared pain and healing, he highlighted how far the countries had come after re-establishing formal relations in 1995. “In three decades, the U.S. and Vietnam have gone from enemies to partners — comprehensive strategic partners,” Mr. Hegseth said. “Our military relationship demonstrates our friendship and our cooperation.” The defense secretary’s Vietnam stop — following meetings with other regional officials and before a trip to South Korea — did not include an expected announcement about new major military purchases. His visit came as Hanoi has reinvigorated its defense ties with Russia, buying planes and mobile air-defense systems, while exploring defense cooperation with partners as varied as Finland, Turkey, Israel and North Korea. Mr. Hegseth seemed to signal an acceptance of that approach. The official U.S. summary of his visit said he “applauded Vietnam’s rapid military modernization and commended Vietnam’s commitment to defend its sovereignty and regional security.” Washington is increasingly eager to see more countries become involved with security in the region, especially in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims nearly all of the area’s islands and commercial sea routes. Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia are a few of the countries that reject China’s assertions and maintain their own claims. On Friday, at a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mr. Hegseth announced a new task force with the Philippines to deepen military cooperation and safeguard the seas from sudden disruptions caused by conflict or contests for dominance. “We will work relentlessly to re-establish deterrence in the South China Sea and advance our alliance,” he said in a statement. Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, said that these regional security concerns are a major reason — more than the legacy of war — that the United States and Vietnam are trying to connect. The question is whether shared security interests will outweigh discontent on trade. “The U.S. values its closer ties with Vietnam because of its strategic competition with China,” Mr. Vuving said. “Vietnam hopes its closer ties with the U.S. will greatly help its quest for security and prosperity.” Zunaira Saieed contributed reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
