Emergence of Vietnamese -U.S. Cooperation
249Security Cooperation
A more important issue is the emergence of security cooperation between
Vietnam and the US. As was the case with political cooperation, security
cooperation also started after normalization, with the visit of the US
secretary of defense William Cohen in March 2000, followed by the first-
ever visit by the Vietnamese defense minister to Washington in November
- A major step toward closer security cooperation between the two
countries was undertaken during the visit of the Vietnamese Prime
Minister Phan Van Kai in 2005, when he signed an intelligence agreement
with the United States which allowed cooperation in intelligence sharing.^31
While Vietnam was more reserved in the first period of the emergence of
security cooperation, announcing that there was no talk of strategic ties,^32
the current developments between both sides indicate a more welcoming
atmosphere towards security cooperation. Vietnam started to buy weapons
mainly from Russia, but also from Canada, France, and the US. A more
evident step is the establishment of a close bilateral defense dialogue with
a primary focus on maritime security as well as civil nuclear cooperation,
with more proposals still on the table.^33
This rapprochement between Vietnam and the US in terms of security
cooperation reached its highest point so far with the Memorandum of
Understanding for advancing bilateral defense cooperation signed in
2011.^34 Satisfaction with and commitment to the full implementation of
this memorandum were expressed at the bilateral meeting between the two
country’s presidents in July 2013.^35 In terms of specific actions within the
realm of security cooperation, even more important were repairs made to a
U.S. Navy ship in Vietnam in 2011–for the first time after 38 years–and
repairs made to two American MSC vessels in Vietnamese shipyards since
2009.^36 Vietnamese government and military officials also visited the U.S.
aircraft carrier USS George Washington in 2011.^37 In that respect, an even
(^31) Chanda, “The slow reaproachment“.
(^32) Chanda, “The slow reaproachment“.
(^33) Thayer, “Vietnam-United States Military Relations.”
(^34) Stern, “Adding Strategic Depth to U.S.-Vietnamese Defense Relations.“
(^35) The White House, Joint Statement by President Barack Obama of the United
States of America and President Truong Tan Sang of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/25/joint-state
ment-president-barack-obama-united-states-america-and-preside
(^36) U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, “MSC ship completes first U.S. Navy
ship visit to Vietnam port in 38 years“:
http://www.msc.navy.mil/N00p/pressrel/press11/press40.htm
(^37) Inquirer news, “Vietnamese officials visit US aircraft carrier“: