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US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s Vietnam visit to focus on maritime cooperation, distrust over wartime history
- The US and Vietnam are seeking to deepen bilateral defence ties especially in the South China Sea, says an analyst, and are expected to take steps to address wartime history
- Washington is expected to commit to helping Hanoi identify and recover the remains of soldiers from the Vietnam war
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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for talks that are expected to focus heavily on security and military cooperation between the erstwhile enemies, along with Washington’s plan to help Southeast Asia tackle Covid-19 and its post-pandemic recovery.
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Sources say discussions on Thursday between Austin and his counterpart General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi will cover the provision of US coastguard ships to Vietnam for maritime patrols and the possibility of a third American aircraft carrier visit to signal closer strategic ties between the countries.
They are also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the legacy of the Vietnam war, which ended in 1975 with the communist victory over South Vietnam and the withdrawal of US troops.
The MOU will see the United States help Vietnam locate, identify and recover the remains of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers who died during the war and are still listed as missing in action, a matter of great emotional significance to their families.
Austin will visit Hoa Lo prison – the “Hanoi Hilton”, as the facility was known to American pilots detained during the war – on Wednesday, before meeting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday morning.
Analysts said the visit by Austin, a top member of US President Joe Biden’s administration, was meant to underscore Washington’s commitment to strengthening ties with Vietnam.
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