Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

President Biden to Visit
Vietnam: Scene Setter – 8
September 8, 2023

We are preparing a backgrounder on Vietnam-U.S. relations on the occasion of

President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam.
Q1: What are your expectations for an upgrade in ties between Vietnam and the US,
which will reportedly be announced during Biden's upcoming visit to Hanoi?
ANSWER: I fully expect that President Biden and Genera Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong
will issue a short joint statement announcing the upgrading of bilateral relations to a
comprehensive strategic partnership.
It is my assessment Vietnam is pursuing a diplomatic initiative to raise relations with
key partners to the highest level. Last year South Korea became a comprehensive
strategic partner along with Russia, India, and China. This year the United States and
Australia will become a comprehensive strategic partners. It is likely Japan will follow
next year.
Q2: What does an expected upgrade in ties mean for bilateral relations? How could
the two countries expand their cooperation on traditional security and non-traditional
security areas after the upgrade?
ANSWER: The new comprehensive strategic partnership will build on the nine areas of
cooperation included in the 2013 comprehensive partnership. Greater priority will be
given to trade, investment, science and technology and education and training.
Economic relations need to be upgraded because the U.S. is Vietnam’s largest export
market and the United States is not a party to any free trade agreement with Vietnam
including the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership and the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
A key area for development is U.S. investment in Vietnam’s semiconductor industry
and establishing a secure and resilient supply chain. U.S. investment will aim at
improving Vietnam’s capacity to assemble, package and test computer chips. Another
area of cooperation will focus on green energy transition and decarbonization.
The U.S. and Vietnam will develop extensive cooperation in meeting non-traditional
security challenges including climate change, environmental protection, public health,
trafficking in persons, and counter-narcotics.
 2

Vietnam will not abandon its four no’s defence policy so cooperation in traditional
security will be limited to capacity building in maritime security and new cooperation
between national defence industries in defence technologies (drones electronics,
etc.).

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “President Biden to Visit Vietnam: Scene Setter
– 8,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, September 8, 2023. All background briefs
are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer.. To remove yourself from the mailing list
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.