Photo: Tr3/Adobe Stock
April 30 marked 50 years since the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam war. Vietnam’s closest partners, including China, Cambodia, and Laos, sent representatives to the commemorations held in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Notably missing from the main parade were representatives from the United States, who were reportedly instructed by Washington not to attend.
The United States’ absence from the events, in addition to recent cuts to programs related to war legacy issues, muddles its relationship with Vietnam. To maintain momentum in the deepening relationship with Vietnam, the United States must prioritize war reconciliation efforts, one of the key pillars of the U.S.-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership. War reconciliation has been instrumental in improving the United States’ relationship with Vietnam over the last three decades.
U.S.-Vietnam relations have flourished in recent years. In 2023, the United States and Vietnam elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest level in Vietnam’s diplomatic repertoire. The partnership is a significant upgrade from U.S.-Vietnam relations just a decade ago, when Washington hosted the first ever visit by a Vietnamese Communist Party general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong. This year also marks 30 years since the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations, which Vietnamese deputy prime minister and foreign minister Bui Thanh Son and U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio celebrated via phone call less than a week after President Donald Trump reentered office.
U.S.-Vietnam relations in recent months, however, have been inconsistent. On April 2, Trump placed “reciprocal tariffs” on over 180 countries, assigning a massive 46 percent tariff to goods from Vietnam. Instead of retaliating, General Secretary To Lam approached Trump directly. In what Trump described as a “very productive” phone call, Lam offered to reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, and Trump accepted an invitation for a working visit to Vietnam. Just one week later, Trump placed a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs, leaving in place a 10 percent tariff on most countries including Vietnam. The United States and Vietnam then held a second round of tariff negotiations from May 19 to 22, led by U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer and Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Hong Dien. The negotiations were reportedly positive, and talks will resume in early June.
But later in April, the Trump administration reportedly instructed its senior diplomats in Vietnam not to attend any celebrations tied to the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This included Ambassador Marc Knapper, the son of a Vietnam war veteran, who had intended to attend anniversary events on April 29 and 30. Knapper’s absence at Vietnam’s anniversary parade was a missed opportunity for the United States to reaffirm its commitment toward war reconciliation efforts. His attendance would have sent a powerful signal. In a partial reversal, the Trump administration at the last minute sent Susan Burns, the U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, to attend an anniversary reception on April 29, but still allowed no representatives to the main parade.
In recent months, the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the attempted closure of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) have disrupted programs dedicated to addressing legacies of war in Vietnam. When the administration on January 24 halted all USAID contracts, workers were in the process of decontaminating the Bien Hoa Airbase of dioxin, a lethal byproduct of Agent Orange. Due to the short notice, pits of contaminated soil were left exposed, initially covered by flimsy tarps that blew away in the wind. U.S. diplomats urged the administration to address the exposed soil due to safety concerns. With Vietnam approaching its rainy season, the tainted soil could have flooded into nearby cities, poisoning food and water supplies. The Trump administration did not respond to these concerns until early March, when it allowed work at Bien Hoa to resume. But the companies in charge of the project, Tetra Tech and Vietnamese construction firm VINA E&C, are reportedly still not receiving promised funds. As a result, the companies have rushed to secure the exposed Bien Hoa site before the rainy season hits at their own expense.
Meanwhile, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most visited museum, was meant to unveil a USAID and USIP-backed exhibit highlighting the United States’ reconciliation efforts and positive instances of U.S.-Vietnam cooperation. This exhibit would have marked the first time the U.S. government had direct involvement in how the war is portrayed in Vietnam. The significance of an exhibit showing the United States’ reconciliation efforts in a museum full of “American war crimes” could begin to shift decades of stigmatization and resentment in Vietnam and further promote mutual understanding. Funds for the project remain frozen, and the USAID and USIP officials in charge of the project are no longer allowed to work, leaving it in indefinite hiatus.
Addressing war legacies is critical to maintaining the U.S.-Vietnam relationship. A relationship that began with resentment and hostility has transformed into a mutually beneficial partnership core to U.S. interests. Over the last 50 years, the United States and Vietnam went from enemies to security partners. Vietnam has also played a key role in U.S. friendshoring efforts, receiving $2 million in seed funding via the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act for its semiconductor industry. With all the progress made in recent years, the U.S.-Vietnam relationship still has opportunities for growth. If prioritized, the strength of U.S.-Vietnam relations could be more strategic now than ever.
Lauren Mai is a program coordinator and research assistant for the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
