Remember our last article about China and Vietnam, where we raised an eyebrow at China’s massive 36-agreement handshake with Vietnam? Tango: That’s the dance the United States and Vietnam are engaged in with their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement. Last September, the President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, and we are going to see what is behind this historic partnership agreement and who is benefitting from it. Is this historic agreement worrying China?

Flashback to yesteryear, when the echoes of the Vietnam War had barely faded, the United States and Vietnam began penning their first chapters of reconciliation. Fast forward to the ’90s, and they are shaking hands, as in 1995, they officially made up and started working together. But it’s not just any handshake – it’s one that’s been evolving, leading up to a groundbreaking alliance. In 2001, Vietnam decided it wanted to make more friends around the world. They talked about creating important friendships, called strategic partnerships, to help Vietnam in three big ways: keeping things safe, making more money, and having a good reputation internationally.

Before 2013, both countries were already good friends, but not the closest kind. They had most of what they needed for a special friendship. However, they had some differences in how they saw the “strategic” part of being friends, which caused some problems.

Learn more about this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with our lawyer, Ken Duong, as he will provide detailed insights into the agreement and share his opinions on this relationship.