East-West Center: Vietnam is crucial to the United States

Key Chapter Title List

1. Overview of U.S.-Vietnam Relations
2. Regional and Global Engagement
3. Security Cooperation
4. Investment
5. Trade
6. Agriculture
7. Technology and Innovation
8. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
9. Healthcare
10. Educational Exchanges
11. Travel and Tourism
12. Population and People-to-People Ties

Document Introduction

This report is a specialized research publication released under the "Asia Matters for America" initiative of the East-West Center in Washington. It aims to systematically review and analyze the increasingly deepening U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship since the beginning of the 21st century. Based on the latest data and policy developments up to 2025, the report provides a panoramic view of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the United States and Vietnam, which transcends historical entanglements and moves towards deep integration, from the national, state, and local levels. Its core argument is that Vietnam is not only a key economic and security partner for the United States in the Indo-Pacific region but also an indispensable participant in shaping the regional order, maintaining supply chain resilience, and promoting shared prosperity.

The report's content is rigorously structured, covering all key dimensions of the bilateral relationship. On the economic front, it provides a detailed analysis of the nearly $150 billion bilateral trade structure, Vietnam's greenfield investment in the U.S. (cumulatively reaching $6.9 billion) and its job creation effects, as well as the deep integration of both sides in high-tech supply chains such as semiconductors and electronics manufacturing. In the security domain, the focus is on the deepening defense cooperation following the lifting of the arms embargo in 2016, including key equipment transfers, maritime security capacity building, joint exercises, and ongoing efforts to jointly address war legacy issues (such as unexploded ordnance clearance and Agent Orange/dioxin contamination remediation). The report also emphasizes that the 2023 upgrade of the bilateral relationship to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" marks the official entry of cooperation into the highest level, encompassing political, economic, security, technological, and other fields.

In terms of analytical methodology, this report extensively employs authoritative statistical data, official government documents (such as Memoranda of Understanding, Joint Vision Statements), and specific project cases, ensuring the precision and timeliness of its arguments. Beyond macro-level national data, the report innovatively introduces segmented data maps illustrating interactions between U.S. states and Vietnam, visually demonstrating the regional characteristics of trade, investment, tourism, agricultural exports, and the distribution of the Vietnamese-American population. This reveals the micro-foundations of how the bilateral relationship is deeply embedded in the fabric of American society. This multi-level "nation-state-local" analytical framework provides a unique perspective for understanding the breadth and depth of U.S.-Vietnam relations.

The report's core findings indicate that U.S.-Vietnam relations have formed a highly reciprocal and strategically resilient composite bond. Vietnam is an indispensable manufacturing hub and a critical node in the semiconductor supply chain for the United States in Southeast Asia, while the United States is Vietnam's largest export market, a significant source of investment and technology, and an important partner in security modernization. Simultaneously, the presence of over 2.3 million Vietnamese Americans, annual exchanges of tens of thousands of students, and thriving tourism and cultural exchanges constitute a solid socio-cultural foundation for the bilateral relationship. Looking ahead, the report points out that by deepening shared objectives in the Indo-Pacific region—including upholding a free and open order, ensuring supply chain security, and addressing challenges like climate change and public health—the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to provide key momentum for regional stability and bilateral shared prosperity.