At the same time, Kritenbrink reaffirmed the US commitment to supporting "a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam."
It is also interesting that Mr. Kritenbrink arrived in Vietnam just a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited the country. His visit resulted in the signing of more than a dozen agreements on bilateral cooperation in education, medicine, energy, and defense.
Good.
Irony of ironies for those with a bit of perspective.
Well, apparently now Vladimir Putin knows what it feels like to get, slapped in the face with a dead fish.
On a more serious note, I am sure that one of the very biggest issues for the Vietnamese is their security and their freedom to trade with whomever it is that they wish to. Putin can never guarantee that against China, nor do I believe that he would have done so even if his country had the ability to pull that off. Frankly, I have doubts about whether we can pull that off, but from the Vietnamese point of view, there is no other alternative other than bending a knee to the Chinese, which they will never do. By throwing in with us, they also become part of the coalition of nations that is attempting to contain China, which includes India, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea. I am sure that that gives them some degree of comfort.
You definitely want these people on your side.
Makes a bit of sense.
East Asian countries don’t want to become vassal states of China.
China is allied with Russia.
They say you can’t buy your allies, but you can rent them.
I wonder what it cost us to outbid the Russians?
They must have heard how generous the US taxpayers are with foreign aid.
As Ho Chi Minh would have put it, “I prefer to smell American s___, rather than Chinese s___”
Kind of an insult to those who fought and died for a democratic Vietnam.
Yeah, that’s what we need, another commie nation as pals with us. Seems most of the shirts I see in stores are made in Nam. I ain’t buying a damned thing from that place. Too many of my brother remain missing and they’ve done much of nothing to say what happened to most of them. They slaughtered everyone on the USA / RVN’s side after they took over. Those poor people were left behind, hey where have I heard that before?, and became “Boat People” taking to the seas to escape. Until they drop the commie government and rubbing backsides with Red China, North Korea, etc., then I don’t want to be pals with them. One Nam Vet’s opinion on anything to do with Vietnam. If that offends some here, so sorry, I ain’t changing my mind.
Interesting how we became friends with VN - AFTER recognizing our intervention there was a expensive and internally-divisive failure, not getting involved in their affairs, and NOT waging war.
I wonder if such a realization might work in Ukraine?
Good.
How much is that costing American taxpayers?
Vietnam is pandering to both Russia and the USA. This is not some diplomatic coup where we pried Vietnam away from Russia, but it is a disappointment for Russia, who thought they had moved Vietnam a little further from the west with Putin’s visit. And we did it quietly with no fanfare, and a third level bureaucrat nobody has ever heard of.
Now there’s a headline I never thought I’d live to see!..................
Tell the North to free the South back to a free and independent country and we will guarantee their freedom, safety and near unlimited trade. Otherwise, hello Beijing.
Like so many on FR, I spent a year+ in Vietnam. Never thought I’d see this kind of news. But I never thought all my shirts would be made in Vietnam either.
Yikes!
U.S. super patriot Jane Fonda must be outraged...
All her life’s work to get Americans killed is shot in the ass...