EDITORIAL
Vietnam-US ties take root
Following years of rancour, the two countries have come together along strategic and economic lines
Relations between the United States and Vietnam have followed a strange course. It has taken quite a long time for both countries to reach the current level of mutual confidence and trust they now enjoy. After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the two countries should have been able to mend fences quickly, but they were unable to do so. On the Vietnamese side, the victory had increased the country's overall confidence and inspired a feeling there of having triumphed against the world's most powerful nation, which overshadowed the need to normalise relations. For the US, public opinion was still against the war and American citizens were still suffering from the loss of life and national pride the war had brought about. In addition, over the past three decades issues such as the fate of American servicemen missing in Vietnam and the use of Agent Orange during the war have stood in the way of normal relations - although on both of those questions the two sides have cooperated.Now, with President Nguyen Minh Triet becoming Vietnam's first post-war head of state to travel to the US, relations between the two countries have changed drastically and will never be the same again. Vietnam has finally found its niche in Washington's Beltway. After years of negotiations, Southeast Asia's second largest country has normalised ties with the US. Last year it joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Vietnam has imitated China's successful diplomatic approach with the US. Hanoi has not shied away from reiterating its difference with Washington over human-rights issues, but at the same time it has expressed full willingness to cooperate in other areas. This approach has won some support in Congress and throughout Washington. Vietnam's release of jailed human-rights activists before the visit also helped and, was considered part of this public diplomatic effort. Indeed, the confidence of international investors in Vietnam has increased following its gaining of WTO membership, as it has helped ensure that the country's current and future economy will follow a more or less capitalist approach. This approach and key economic reforms over the past two decades under the doi moi programmes of liberalisation have turned the once war-torn country into a new economic powerhouse in Southeast Asia. Its sustained high economic growth has also impressed foreign investors. Leading multinational companies such as Intel and others have chosen Vietnam over old favourites like Thailand and Malaysia because of the high skill level of the workforce and cheaper labour costs. The political stability in Vietnam has been often highlighted as compared to its democratic, but politically unstable, neighbouring countries. Beyond trade and economic relations, the US is very interested in Vietnam for its strategic location and its long history of engaging the Chinese. For many strategists in the West, Vietnam is considered a second China, with a similar mind-set and work ethic. The US also sees Vietnam as a leading member of Asean that can influence and shape the future of the grouping. Since it joined Asean in 1995, Hanoi has led the grouping in many areas, much to the chagrin of old members. For instance, Vietnam was instrumental in bringing Burma into the Asia-Europe Meeting framework. Vietnam's new found rapport with the US comes at a time when Washington is looking for new security partners. Traditional allies, such as the Philippines and Thailand, have been, in Washington's eyes, a big disappointment. After all, they have not fulfilled their obligations as non-Nato allies when they were needed. Their half-hearted cooperation with the US over the Iraq War has been widely noted. This helps to explain why Washington is shifting its attention to countries like Singapore and Vietnam. Even though there are no official security links between the US and these countries, they have proven to be reliable partners with the US in its broader strategies. In the future, the increased cooperation between Vietnam and the US will eventually lead to strategic areas. The US has, after all, expressed interest in its former base at Cam Ranh Bay, which was taken over by Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War. In 1979 the former Soviet Union moved in with a 25-year contract and turned the port into the country's largest offshore military base.
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