Cooperation achievements in 30 years of history
In July 1995, Vietnam and the United States officially normalized relations. The two countries' transition from former enemies to normalized bilateral relations was the result of the impact of many subjective and objective factors, but the most important factor was the efforts and goodwill of both sides. On July 11, 1995, in the Statement on the Normalization of Relations with Vietnam, US President Bill Clinton called: "Regardless of what divided us in the past, let us put it in the past. Let this moment be a time to heal and a time to build" (1) . The normalization of relations between Vietnam and the United States can be considered a historical turning point, because from this point on, both sides made efforts to create a new relationship of substance, building a legal foundation to create conditions for cooperation on all levels between Vietnam and the United States to develop more and more effectively.
In the political and diplomatic fields, over the past 30 years, Vietnam and the United States have gradually overcome disagreements and suspicions. Since 1995, US presidents have visited Vietnam, and Vietnam has also had visits to the United States by high-ranking leaders. Through these visits, positive changes have been created in bilateral relations, including important milestones.
The first milestone was the two countries officially establishing a Comprehensive Partnership with 9 key areas of cooperation, expressed in the Joint Statement signed during the visit to the United States by President Truong Tan Sang (July 2013). “The establishment of a comprehensive partnership between the two countries is an important milestone, affirming the inevitable development trend of the Vietnam - US relationship, while creating a solid foundation for the development of the relationship between the two countries in the future” (2) . Notably, in this Joint Statement, the United States for the first time affirmed its respect for Vietnam's political system. This was a solid foundation for the success of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's historic visit to the United States (July 2015), marking the second milestone , opening a new page in the Vietnam - US relationship. The Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam-US Relations signed on this occasion affirmed that the two countries will continue to develop a deep, sustainable, and substantive relationship, on the basis of respect for the United Nations Charter, international law, and each other's political systems, independence, sovereignty , and territorial integrity (3) .
The visit to Vietnam by US President Barack Obama (May 2016) marked the third milestone , when the US President announced the complete lifting of the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam, removing the last barrier in bilateral relations, marking the complete normalization of relations, demonstrating a big step forward in the thinking of US leaders towards Vietnam. It can be affirmed that with this historic decision, US President B. Obama has taken a big step forward, deepening the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the United States, at the same time sending a meaningful message about strengthening strategic trust and tightening strategic cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
After 10 years of implementing the comprehensive partnership, Vietnam and the United States have made important strides in all areas of bilateral relations, trust has been consolidated, mutual understanding has been enhanced, and the intertwining of interests has been significantly increased, etc. Success after success has created the basis for September 2023, during the State visit to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden, the two countries signed a Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam - US relations to "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development" (hereinafter referred to as the Joint Statement of September 10, 2023), clearly identifying 10 pillars of comprehensive cooperation of strategic importance. The event created a particularly important milestone in the history of Vietnam - US relations. General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that upgrading the Vietnam-US relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development means that this relationship not only practically serves the interests of the people of the two countries, but also actively contributes to peace, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world (4) .
Economic, trade and investment cooperation is considered a successful area of cooperation, becoming a pillar, foundation and driving force for the overall development of bilateral relations between the two countries. In 1994, the United States lifted the embargo on Vietnam; in 2000, the two countries signed the Vietnam - United States Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA); in 2007, the United States granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations to Vietnam and agreed on Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), establishing a Comprehensive Partnership (2013) and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2023) - important foundations to strengthen relations between the two countries in this field. After 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations and more than 20 years of signing the BTA, Vietnam - United States trade relations are truly a bright spot. Total trade turnover between the two countries has quickly surpassed the 100 billion USD/year mark in 2021 with 111.55 billion USD, 247.3 times higher, and 123.91 billion USD in 2022, about 275 times higher than the initial figure of 451 million USD in 1995 (5) . For many years, the United States has become Vietnam's largest export market, exceeding the 100 billion USD/year threshold. From 2019 to present, Vietnam has maintained its position as the 8th largest trading partner of the United States. In terms of investment, the United States currently ranks 11th out of 108 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 1,340 FDI projects, totaling over 11.8 billion USD (6) . Vietnam is continuing to exchange and promote the United States to soon recognize Vietnam's Market Economy Status. In addition to FDI projects, the United States is also one of the largest official development assistance (ODA) countries for Vietnam.
Although Vietnam-US defense and security cooperation has not made much progress compared to other fields, there have been impressive changes. In the first five years after normalization of relations, Vietnam-US cooperation mainly focused on resolving the issue of prisoners of war and US soldiers missing after the Vietnam War (POW/MIA). Since 2000, there have been the first efforts to expand Vietnam-US military relations, demonstrated by mutual visits by the two countries' Defense Ministers, contributing to creating a foundation for more positive progress in defense and security cooperation. Cooperation mechanisms have been established and effectively implemented, and the two countries consider the handling of war consequences (dioxin treatment, search for missing soldiers, and mine clearance) as one of the focuses and foundations of bilateral relations. In fact, Vietnam-US cooperation in this field has brought about clear results. The United States has disbursed hundreds of millions of dollars for the Da Nang airport detoxification project and medical assistance for people with disabilities, including dioxin victims, and for projects to overcome the consequences of bombs, mines, and explosives left over from the war. Most recently, on May 8, 2025, the 13th Vietnam - United States Defense Policy Dialogue took place in Hanoi. The two sides highly appreciated the results of defense cooperation in recent times and discussed expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The leaders of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense highly appreciated the United States' announcement of a new $130 million in aid for the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa airport, thereby raising the total amount of non-refundable aid from the US Government to $430 million (7) . Through signed and implemented agreements, Vietnam-US defense and security cooperation has been increasingly expanded, relating not only to bilateral relations but also to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Vietnam - US cooperation in the field of education and training is one of the "bright spots", achieving many positive results. If in 1995 there were only about 500 Vietnamese students studying in the United States, now this number is more than 31,000 people (of which more than 22,000 students are in universities and colleges, concentrated in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Vietnam ranks first among Southeast Asian countries in the number of international students in the United States (8) . The two countries are actively promoting new forms of cooperation in the field of education and training. Most recently, from March 31 to April 4, 2025, representatives of 21 US universities came to Vietnam to seek cooperation opportunities with 15 Vietnamese universities (from Da Nang and further south). This is an unprecedented event, promising to bring positive results, when universities of the two countries exchange visions, cooperation strategies, seek opportunities to implement joint training programs, scientific research, student and lecturer exchanges,...
In the health sector, many projects and programs have been effectively implemented. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the timely and effective cooperation and mutual support between Vietnam and the United States have left many unforgettable impressions in the hearts of the people of the two countries. In terms of science and technology, the two countries have strengthened cooperation in the fields of environment, climate change, information technology, biotechnology, oceanography, space technology, etc. With the help of US educational centers, many Vietnamese students have been well-trained, contributing to the success of long-term investment and development projects of the United States in Vietnam. In addition, the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy between the two countries (also known as the 123 Agreement, officially effective from September 10, 2014) has opened up a new form of cooperation, attracting the attention of the world's leading US technology companies to the development of civil nuclear power in Vietnam. This Agreement has created a basis for Vietnam to be able to receive advanced and modern nuclear technology for nuclear power projects. Regarding the new direction of cooperation in this field in the coming time, the Joint Statement dated September 10, 2023 clearly stated: "Vietnam and the United States decided to promote cooperation in science, technology and innovation in the digital field, considering this a new breakthrough in the comprehensive strategic partnership" (9) .
Another important aspect of the Vietnam - US relationship is the relationship between the people of the two countries. Few people know that the Vietnam - US Friendship Association was established very early (October 17, 1945), considered the first bilateral friendship association of Vietnam and the predecessor of the Vietnam - US Association (established in 1992 on the basis of the Vietnam - US Committee established in 1968) (10) . Despite the ups and downs of the history of Vietnam - US relations over the past decades, the relationship between the people of the two countries has always been maintained and increasingly expanded. It can be affirmed that people-to-people diplomacy in general, and the Vietnam - US Association in particular, not only contribute to realizing the policy of "putting aside the past, overcoming differences, promoting similarities, and looking towards the future", but also make an important contribution to improving and elevating the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the US to a new level of quality.
Thus, looking back at the past 30 years since Vietnam and the United States normalized relations, it can be seen that this has not been an easy journey. To establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, the leaders and people of the two countries have overcome many difficulties and obstacles. The Vietnam - United States cooperative relationship has made great strides in all fields, increasingly developing in both breadth and depth. Those cooperative achievements "did not come naturally, but are the result of the tireless efforts of many generations of leaders, veterans, businesses and people of the two countries" (11) .
Promoting cooperation for a bright and dynamic future
For Vietnam, during the first term of US President Donald Trump (2017-2021), Vietnam-US relations have developed steadily when President D. Trump visited Vietnam twice on the occasion of attending international economic and political events hosted by Vietnam (November 2017 and February 2019). In his second term, US President D. Trump took over a more solid foundation for Vietnam-US bilateral cooperation than in his first term. In fact, although the Democratic and Republican Parties may have different views on many domestic and foreign issues, maintaining and promoting multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam has always received support and consensus from both parties. US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper affirmed that the United States prioritizes developing relations with Vietnam on the basis of the principle of respecting Vietnam's political institutions, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
For its part, the Party and Government of Vietnam always wish for the relationship with the United States to maintain a stable and increasingly in-depth development momentum; effectively implement the contents of the Action Plan to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; and build balanced, stable and harmonious economic, trade and investment relations with the United States for the common interests of the two countries. These are favorable conditions for promoting deeper and broader cooperation between Vietnam and the United States during the second term of US President D. Trump.
However, bilateral economic relations are facing major difficulties and obstacles when recently, US President D. Trump announced the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on exports from Vietnam as well as many other countries to the United States. This is a challenge that requires the two countries to cooperate to find a satisfactory solution to the problem. With the important role of comprehensive strategic partners, reaching an agreement between Vietnam and the United States on reciprocal tax policy at this time is a remarkable result for both countries.
In fact, Vietnam is currently actively implementing practical solutions to promote specific economic activities in the US market to improve the trade balance. Most recently, in the first week of June 2025, Vietnam signed an agreement to import nearly 3 billion USD worth of US agricultural products (12) . Previously, major Vietnamese economic groups had signed major economic cooperation agreements with US partners. The Trump Organization Group alone officially started a 1.5 billion USD investment project in Hung Yen province. In general, the two sides are actively implementing many solutions to promote businesses to invest in both the US and Vietnam. According to data from the Foreign Investment Agency, as of May 30, 2025, Vietnam had 252 investment projects in the US with a total investment capital of 1.36 billion USD (13) .
Regarding the prospects of Vietnam - US relations in the coming time, it is recognized that the achievements of bilateral cooperation over the past 30 years have created a solid foundation for the two countries to continue to realize the contents of extensive cooperation. However, Vietnam - US relations are still affected by many subjective and objective factors in the internal situation of each country and in the international arena. Those factors both create opportunities and pose challenges, so the two countries need to find solutions to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities to develop this relationship firmly. In international relations, for Vietnam, the United States as well as any other country, the key factor is building trust. In fact, Vietnam always attaches importance to building and strengthening trust in relations with the United States as well as with other partners in the world. This is also what Vietnam desires from other countries, because trust can only be formed when all parties build it together. Trust will be strengthened when countries pursue a consistent, transparent, fair foreign policy that takes into account the legitimate interests of other countries and peoples and is proven through practice. On that basis, the parties can build solid, mutually beneficial international relations. Speaking about this issue, General Secretary To Lam emphasized: "For a relationship to develop, the parties need to promote research on each other's history, culture, people, political systems, socio-economy, etc. If countries understand and respect each other's legitimate interests and work together to build trust, the world will be more peaceful and less conflicted" (14) .
To achieve the above goal, countries need to have frank, sincere, constructive dialogue on the basis of mutual understanding. One of the issues is to make the United States and other countries better understand Vietnam's foreign policy views and goals, especially the view: "To ensure the highest national interests on the basis of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit" (15) . Accordingly, focusing on finding opportunities for dialogue - one of Vietnam's foreign policy priorities - is to resolve outstanding issues; to clear, improve and promote cooperation in relations with the United States as well as with other countries. The Joint Statement of September 10, 2023 emphasized that Vietnam and the United States "need to continue to deepen political and diplomatic relations and will promote delegation exchanges and regular contacts at all levels to enhance mutual understanding, build and strengthen political trust" (16) .
Regarding promoting bilateral economic and trade relations, the two sides have increased substantive dialogues, thereby creating more favorable conditions for US and Vietnamese businesses to invest. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam wishes to build a balanced, stable, harmonious and sustainable economic - trade - investment cooperation relationship with the United States for the common interests of the two countries (17) . In addition, Vietnam needs to enhance its internal strength, build an independent and self-reliant economy, effectively participate in the global production network and value chain, expand the market, and improve the quality of other international relations according to the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization.
Thus, on the basis of 30 years of cooperation history, with the stature of a comprehensive strategic partnership, in the coming time, Vietnam and the United States will continue to develop bilateral relations in a more substantial, profound and effective direction, thereby "realizing the people's aspirations for a bright and dynamic future, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in this important region as well as around the world" (18) .
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(1) Wiliam A.Degregorio: 42 US Presidents, Vietnam Historical Science Association, Hanoi, 1995, p. 1329
(2) Ha Kim Ngoc: “New vision for Vietnam - US relations”, Communist Magazine, No. 874 (August 2015), p. 102
(3) “Statement on the Vietnam - United States Joint Vision”, July 8, 2015, Government Electronic Newspaper, https://baochinhphu.vn/tuyen-bo-ve-tam-nhin-chung-viet-nam-hoa-ky-102186508.htm
(4), (14) To Lam: “On Vietnam's path forward, Vietnam - US relations and vision for the new era”, Electronic Communist Magazine, September 24, 2024, https://www.tapchicongsan.org.vn/en/web/guest/tieu-iem1/-/asset_publisher/s5L7xhQiJeKe/content/con-duong-cua-viet-nam-quan-he-voi-hoa-ky-va-tam-nhin-cho-ky-nguyen-moi
(5) “Some features of Vietnam - US trade during the Prime Minister's working session with US businesses”, WTO and Integration Center , January 3, 2025, https://trungtamwto.vn/an-pham/29025-vai-net-ve-thuong-mai-viet-nam--hoa-ky-nhan-thu-tuong-lam-viec-voi-doanh-nghiep-my
(6) Uyen Uyen: "The United States has about 1,340 investment projects in Vietnam with a total capital of over 11.8 billion USD", Electronic Inspection Newspaper of the Government Inspectorate and the Inspection sector , September 21, 2024, https://thanhtra.com.vn/print/dau-tu-72A9E3223/hoa-ky-co-khoang-1-340-du-an-dau-tu-tai-viet-nam-voi-tong-so-von-tren-11-8-ty-usd-0084A6B1.html
(7) Anh Vu: "The 13th Vietnam - US Defense Policy Dialogue", People's Army Electronic Newspaper , May 8, 2025, https://www.qdnd.vn/preview/pid/O/newid/827459
(8) Le Huyen: "More than 31,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the US", VietnamNet electronic newspaper, November 21, 2024, https://vietnamnet.vn/hon-31-000-sinh-vien-viet-nam-dang-du-hoc-my-2244256.html
(9), (16), (18) “Full text of the joint statement on upgrading Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership”, Government Electronic Newspaper, September 11, 2023, https://baochinhphu.vn/toan-van-tuyen-bo-chung-ve-quan-he-doi-tac-chien-luoc-toan-dien-viet-nam-hoa-ky-102230911170243626.htm
(10) See: Nguyen Phuong Nga: "On Vietnam - US people-to-people relations", Communist Magazine No. 942 (May 2020), p. 101
(11) Ha Kim Ngoc: “30 years of Vietnam - US relations (1995 - 2025): Solidifying the relationship, firmly stepping into the future”, Saigon Giai Phong Electronic Newspaper, January 30, 2025, https://www.sggp.org.vn/30-nam-quan-he-viet-nam-hoa-ky-1995-2025-vung-chac-moi-quan-he-vung-buoc-toi-tuong-lai-post778236.html
(12) Ngoc Quang - Doan Hung - Hong Nguyen: "Vietnamese enterprises sign memorandum of understanding to import agricultural products from the US worth up to 3 billion USD", VNA/Vietnamplus , June 7, 2025, https://www.vietnamplus.vn/doanh-nghiep-viet-ky-ban-ghi-nho-nhap-hang-nong-san-tu-my-tri-gia-toi-3-ty-usd-post1042987.vnp
(13) Anh Minh: “Vietnamese enterprises 'flock' to the United States: Seeking investment cooperation opportunities from SelectUSA 2025”, Government Electronic Newspaper , May 13, 2025, https://baochinhphu.vn/doanh-nghiep-viet-do-bo-vao-hoa-ky-tim-co-hoi-hop-tac-dau-tu-tu-selectusa-2025-
(15) Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates , National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2021, vol. I, pp. 161 - 162
(17) Ha Van: "The United States prioritizes developing relations with Vietnam", Government Electronic Newspaper , March 13, 2025, https://baochinhphu.vn/print/hoa-ky-uu-tien-phat-trien-quan-he-voi-viet-nam-102250313210237905.htm
Source: https://tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/the-gioi-van-de-su-kien/-/2018/1125802/ba-muoi-nam-quan-he-viet-nam---hoa-ky--nhung-dau-an-cua-mot-chang-duong-lich-su.aspx
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