Introduction

The US-Vietnam relationship has entered a new diplomatic phase. Ties between both countries greatly strengthened following the G20 Summit in New Delhi, as the US President Joseph Biden was received in Hanoi by Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (The White House, 2023). During the summit, both leaders agreed to upgrade the US-Vietnam relationship to the status of a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ (CSP) (Tatarski, 2023). As proclaimed jointly by the two leaders, this new status contributes to peace, cooperation, and prosperity (The White House, 2023).

The signing of the CSP between the United States and Vietnam, the highest diplomatic level awarded by Vietnam, represents afifty years’ history of strengthening bilateral relations after the end of the Vietnam War (Wells-Dang, 2023). With the end of the post-war embargo on Vietnam in 1991 and the re-establishment of commercial relations, Washington chose to gradually normalise bilateral relations with Hanoi (The White House, 2023). Moreover, the signing of the 2013 ‘Comprehensive Partnership’, which happened during the Obama Presidency, and the annulment of the arms embargo on Vietnam in 2016 led to the normalisation of the diplomatic relationship between both (Hong Nguyen, 2023). Considering the new episode for the United States-Vietnam relationship, this Info Flash will overview the events surrounding the recently signed CSP and analyse whether it could imply a change in Vietnam’s foreign policy.