Vol. 13, No. 2, Pham Thi Yen

This article analyzes activities of defense diplomacy between Vietnam and the US before the Ukraine war. Based on these, the author assesses the possible impacts of the war on US-Vietnam defense cooperation. By clarifying Vietnam’s stance on the Ukraine war as well as the benefits that the US enjoys through its relationship with Vietnam, the author projects an optimistic view of the prospects of US-Vietnam relations in general and the two nations’ defense diplomacy in particular. The article asserts that Russia’s “special military campaign” in Ukraine had short-term impacts on US-Vietnam relations, but in the long term the United States’ strategic interest in cooperating with Vietnam remains unchanged. The fact that the US has actively sanctioned Russia over the Ukraine war does not mean that it has forgotten China, which has been stepping up its unilateral actions in the Indo-Pacific region, where the US is also building up its influence. Moreover, the concern that China may imitate Russia to use force against Taiwan or in the South China Sea will likely further motivate the US to increase cooperation with Vietnam.

Keywords: US-Vietnam relations, defense diplomacy, Indo-Pacific, Ukraine war, Vietnam’s perspective, challenges