Relationship dossier
United States
Vietnam
Relationship assessment
Expanding partnership rooted in normalized relations, trade, security cooperation, and work on war legacies
United States toward Vietnam
+40The United States normalized relations with Vietnam in 1995, established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2013, and elevated it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. The United States lifted its remaining arms embargo on Vietnam in 2016 and has cooperated with Vietnam on trade, defense, and addressing war legacies.
Vietnam toward United States
+40Vietnam normalized relations with the United States in 1995, entered the 2013 Comprehensive Partnership, and agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. Vietnam has expanded trade and defense engagement with the United States and cooperated on addressing the effects of the Vietnam War, including accounting for missing personnel.
Overall relationship
+45The bilateral relationship has shifted from postwar estrangement to a sustained, widening partnership, reinforced by successive diplomatic frameworks, expanding economic ties, and practical security and war-legacy cooperation. Political and human-rights differences remain a source of friction, while the partnership’s increasing scope reflects durable mutual engagement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
United States–Vietnam relations have expanded from normalization in 1995 to a broad partnership covering trade, diplomacy, and security. Both governments established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2013 and elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. Cooperation also includes resolving war legacies and expanding defense engagement. Differences over human rights and political freedoms remain, but have not prevented sustained growth in bilateral ties.
Areas of tension
- U.S. criticism of restrictions on political freedoms and human rights in Vietnam.
- Differences over trade practices and market access.
Key developments
The United States and Vietnam normalized diplomatic relations.
The countries signed a bilateral trade agreement.
The United States and Vietnam established a Comprehensive Partnership.
The United States lifted its remaining arms embargo on Vietnam.
The countries elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of defense cooperation under the 2023 partnership are evolving.
- The future effect of human-rights disagreements on bilateral cooperation is unclear.