Vietnam's agreement to host a massive U.S. military presence and aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, signifies a positive milestone in American relations with Vietnam. There has been no similar occurrence since the 1970s. For Washington, this alliance is highly beneficial in light of China's recent military and economic expansion in the Southeast Asian region, which has placed it direct in competition with Washington. Fortunately for the U.S., Vietnam doesn't seem to have forgotten its war with China in 1979. Experts like Murray Hiebert of the Center for Strategic and International Studies say that Vietnam should treat the U.S.'s visit as a "hedge" against China's growing presence in the sphere of the South China Sea - a body of water with which Vietnam shares a border, but China wishes to claim entirely. Presently, the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard patrol large strips of the region, overseeing roughly the passage of roughly $3 trillion in annual trade.
Both Vietnamese leader Tran Dai Quang and U.S. President Donald Trump have expressed worry over China's sustained presence in the South China Sea, a region that has seen Beijing construct manmade islands equipped with runways, missile shelters, tunnels and radar installations. In 2014, Beijing placed an oil rig into a region subject to territorial dispute between China and Vietnam, which triggered anti-China riots within Vietnam.
To many, the two nations' conflicting ideologies - American capitalism vs. Vietnam's ruling Communist Party - make this pairing a surprising one. The U.S. and Vietnam have both attempted to assert their concerns regarding the Chinese presence in the South China Sea via diplomatic routes, to little effect. For its part, China has been careful to prune its relationships with neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's new alliance with Beijing has resulted in billions of dollars in new investments, and damaged its relations with the U.S. As a result, the U.S.'s relations with these countries are currently also being tested - though this is also due in part to Trump's America First attitude. For instance, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which was originally viewed as a check to China's economic dominance. Vietnam was originally one of the states slated to benefit the most from this pact.
By way of extending a hand of friendship to Vietnam, Washington has poured money into helping the nation remove residual environmental toxins left behind from the Vietnam War. Likewise, Vietnam has invited American warships to enter a newly-renovated naval base that was originally occupied by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. Two-way trade between the U.S. and Vietnam have more than doubled in the past five years, with a value exceeding $50 billion. The two nations also consented to an additional $12 billion in commercial agreements during Trump's November Asian tour.