U.S. To Provide Vietnam With Another Coast Guard Cutter For South China Sea Patrols

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper reviews the Vietnamese guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Kham

Reuters: U.S. to provide ship to Vietnam to boost South China Sea patrols

HANOI (Reuters) - The United States announced on Wednesday it will provide Vietnam with another coast guard cutter for its growing fleet of ships, boosting Hanoi’s ability to patrol the South China Sea amid tensions with China.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper disclosed the decision during an address in Vietnam, which has emerged as the most vocal opponent in Asia of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In his speech, Esper took aim at China, which he accused of “bullying” neighbors, like Vietnam.

“China’s unilateral efforts to assert illegitimate maritime claims threaten other nations’ access to vital natural resources, undermine the stability of regional energy markets, and increase the risk of conflict,” Esper told students at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

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WNU Editor: This is a symbolic gesture. One cutter versus the Chinese fleet in the South China Sea will not change the current massive Chinese presence in this region.

Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson On Historic Visit To Vietnam

VOA: USS Carl Vinson on Historic Visit to Vietnam

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is paying a visit to a Vietnamese port for the first time since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, seen by many as both countries' efforts to stem expansionism by China in the South China Sea.

The nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson with more than 6,000 crew members, accompanied by a cruiser and a destroyer, anchored off the central Vietnamese port city of Danang Monday for a five-day visit.

Although this is the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier has made a port call to Vietnam, smaller U.S. warships have made visited as ties between the former foes have improved in recent years.

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More News On The Historic Visit Of The U.S. Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson On Historic Visit To Vietnam

US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in historic Vietnam visit -- BBC
US Navy carrier’s visit to Vietnam puts China on notice -- AP
U.S. Carrier Arrives in Vietnam Amid Rising Chinese Influence in Region -- US News and World Report/Reuters
A US aircraft carrier arrived in Vietnam for the first time since the fall of Saigon -- Washington Post
US aircraft carrier arrives for historic Vietnam visit amid sea rift with China -- The Telegraph
A US Aircraft Carrier Is Docking In Vietnam For The First Time Since The War -- NPR

US Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson Arrive In Vietnam For A Historic Visit

U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is seen in the Pacific Ocean on May 27, 2017. Torrey W. Lee/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

CNN: US aircraft carrier in Vietnam for historic visit aimed at Beijing

Danang, Vietnam (CNN)For the first time since the end of the Vietnam War more than four decades ago, a US Navy aircraft carrier will set anchor in the country Monday.

Publicly, the United States has portrayed the four-day visit by the USS Carl Vinson and its contingent of 5,000 sailors and aviators as an historic opportunity to enhance the budding friendship that has emerged between the two former foes.

But, it's far from a standard port call.

Analysts say the visit by the aircraft carrier to Vietnam is a clear shot at Beijing, designed to counter China's aggressive island building and militarization in the South China Sea.

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Update #1: Vietnam seeks to pacify China as landmark US carrier visit signals warming ties -- Reuters
Update #2: US Aircraft Carrier Visits Vietnam For The First Time Since The War -- NPR

WNU Editor: This is a huge story in Southeast Asia.

In A Post-War First A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Will Be Visiting Vietnam

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis reviews the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Kham Reuters

Reuters: U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam in post-war first

HANOI (Reuters) - In a post-war first, the United States is poised to send an aircraft carrier to Vietnam in March, officials of both sides said on Thursday, dramatic evidence of deepening military ties between them, more than four decades after the Vietnam War.

The announcement came during a two-day visit to Hanoi by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that had been expected to focus on shared concerns about China.

The proposed visit is set for March at the central port of Danang, Vietnam’s defence ministry said in a statement. Such a visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier could bring the most U.S. forces to Vietnam since the conflict ended in 1975.

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Update #1: US likely to send 1st aircraft carrier since war to Vietnam (AP)
Update #2: US aircraft carrier to make historic visit to Vietnam (AFP)

WNU Editor: For both countries .... China is their focus right now.

A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Will Visit Vietnam In 2018

The Diplomat: US-Vietnam Defense Relations Under Trump Get a Boost With First Aircraft Carrier Visit

The move represents yet another step forward for security ties under the Trump administration amid lingering concerns.

WASHINGTON, DC – Though Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis discussed a wide range of issues in their bilateral defense ties during their August 8 meeting, the biggest headline item that emerged was the first visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam, set for next year. While the move had long been under discussion by both sides, it represents yet another step forward for a relationship that has seen some quick gains in the Trump administration thus far despite deeper, lingering challenges that remain.

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WNU Editor: U.S. and Vietnamese relations are certainly changing .... Vietnam wins U.S. defense pledges as tension with China grows (Reuters)

More News On A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Visiting Vietnam In 2018

Vietnam may see an American aircraft carrier again – this time on a friendly visit -- We Are The Mighty
American aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam next year, Pentagon says -- Stars and Stripes
Why Is US Sending An Aircraft Carrier To Vietnam? -- IBTimes
South China Sea Chess: US Aircraft Carrier To Visit Hanoi in 2018 -- Sputnik

Vietnam Deputy Defense Minister: First Purchase Of US Weapons Some Way Off

Vietnam's Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh, at the Shangri-La Hotel on June 4, 2016.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Straits Times/Reuters: Vietnamese general says first purchase of US weapons some way off

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The recent lifting of the US arms embargo against Vietnam boosted trust between the former enemies, but significant weapons purchases are some way off, a senior Vietnamese military official said on Saturday (June 4).

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh told Reuters possible weapons buys were part of a long-planned strengthening of Vietnamese-US relations across economic, political, cultural and security fronts.

“We are not sure what we can buy from the US or what we want to buy,” Vinh said in some of the first public comments from a Vietnamese defence official since US President Barack Obama lifted the embargo in Hanoi last month.

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WNU Editor: The Vietnamese do want to buy American weapon systems .... the problem is that they cannot afford it. Another problem for the Vietnamese is that they are use to Russian weapons, and those ties are very deep .... Ties That Bind: Why US Lifting Arms Ban on Vietnam Could Be Good for Russia (Sputnik). In the meantime, let the speculation begin .... Vietnam’s Restocking: Subs, Ships, Sukhois, and Now Perhaps F-16s and P-3s? (Defense Industry Daily).

President Obama Lifts U.S. Arms Embargo On Vietnam

CNN: Obama lifts U.S. arms ban on Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam (CNN)President Barack Obama announced Monday that the United States is fully lifting a decades-long ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam.

In a joint news conference in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama said that the removal of the ban on lethal weapons was part of a deeper defense cooperation with the country and dismissed suggestions it was aimed at countering China's growing strength in the region.

Instead, it was the desire to continue normalizing relations between the United States and Vietnam and to do away with a ban "based on ideological division between our two countries," he said.

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WNU Editor: The Chinese react .... China Says Lifting Of US Arms Embargo On Vietnam Aimed At Provoking Hanoi To Confront Beijing Over South China Sea (IBTimes).

More News On President Obama Lifting The U.S. Arms Embargo On Vietnam

U.S. lifts arms ban on old foe Vietnam as regional tensions simmer -- Reuters
In historic move, U.S. lifts arms sales embargo to Vietnam -- Washington Post
Obama Lifts Arms Embargo on Former Enemy Vietnam -- VOA
U.S. Lifts Lethal Weapons Ban to Vietnam 40 Years After War -- Bloomberg
Obama, silent on human rights, lifts arms embargo on Vietnam -- Politico
US lifts Vietnam arms embargo in move to counter China -- FOX News
Why Vietnam wants US weapons -- Nga Pham, BBC

President Obama Begins His Asian Trip With A 2 Day Stop-Over In Vietnam

New York Times: Arriving in Vietnam, Obama Aims to Lure It Away From China

HANOI, Vietnam — President Obama arrived in the steamy capital of Vietnam ahead of schedule on Sunday night to begin three days of meetings in hopes of luring yet another Southeast Asian country away from China’s tight embrace.

He was greeted on the tarmac by a young woman in a long yellow dress who handed him a bouquet of flowers. Several second-tier Vietnamese officials shook the president’s hand before he climbed into his limousine for a quick trip to his hotel after nearly 24 hours of travel. Quiet clusters of people on the dark streets watched his motorcade pass. Except for the small groups, the streets seemed to have been completely cleared.

Since Air Force One had been scheduled to land after midnight, or about three hours later, the official arrival ceremony with high officials in attendance was postponed until Monday morning.

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More News On President Obama's Visit To Vietnam

Obama in Vietnam: Arms and trade deal on agenda as trip begins -- BBC
Barack Obama in Vietnam as US seeks to turn former enemy into major trade market -- The Guardian/AFP
Barack Obama On A 3-Day Vietnam Visit, Seeks To Turn Old Foe Into New Partner -- NDTV/Reuters
President Obama Arrives in Vietnam for Historic Asia Trip -- NBC
Obama arrives in Vietnam for historic trip -- The Hill
Arms embargo on Vietnam in the balance as Obama visits old foe -- Reuters
Vietnam hopes its voice is heard as Obama visits -- BBC
Obama under pressure to address American POWs in visit to Vietnam -- FOX news
President Obama's Trip To Vietnam and Japan: Five Things To Watch -- ABC News

A U.S. - Vietnam Alliance Against China?

Vietnamese soldiers in September during a parade observing the 70th National Day in Hanoi. President Obama will visit Vietnam on Sunday. Credit Kham/Reuters

New York Times: Why Might Vietnam Let U.S. Military Return? China.

CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam — The ghosts of the Vietnam War have finally faded at the strategic port of Cam Ranh Bay. More than 40 years ago, United States forces left this massive base where Marines landed, B-52s loaded up for bombing raids, and wounded American soldiers were treated.

Now, some Vietnamese say they are yearning for the American military to return.

“On Facebook, there was a question recently: What do you want from President Obama’s visit?” said Vo Van Tao, 63, who fought as a young North Vietnamese infantry soldier against the United States. “Some people said they wanted democracy. I said I wanted the Americans to come back to Cam Ranh Bay. A lot of people agreed with me.”

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WNU Editor: President Obama will arriving in Vietnam tomorrow to discuss just that .... Obama heads to Vietnam and Japan to confront the ghosts of old wars amid turmoil in modern ones (L.A. Times).

U.S. Mulling Weapon Sales To Vietnam

China is clearly militarizing the South China Sea and you’d have to believe in the flat Earth to think otherwise : “I believe China seeks hegemony in East Asia. Simple as that,” Adm. Harry Harris told the Senate Armed Services Committee. NavyUS PACOM Commander, Admiral Harry Harris Jr.

Washington Times: U.S. mulls selling weapons to Vietnam to stave off Chinese ‘hegemony’

The top admiral in charge of U.S. military operations in Asia says Washington should drop its remaining restrictions on weapons sales to Vietnam in order to better defend against China’s military buildup in the South China Sea.

Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr., the head of U.S. Pacific Command, told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that they’d have to believe the world was flat to think Beijing is not trying to militarily dominate the region.

“I believe China seeks hegemony in East Asia — simple as that,” he said in remarks likely to further inflame tensions that have risen between Washington and Beijing during recent days.

The two powers have traded rhetorical barbs since last week when reports emerged that Beijing had deployed anti-aircraft missiles on the Paracels Islands chain. The chain has been under Chinese control for decades but is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

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WNU Editor: Vietnam is buying weapon systems from Russia .... Vietnam’s Russian Restocking: Subs, Ships, Sukhois, and More (Defense Industry Daily) .... I am sure they will also buy from the U.S. if given the chance.

U.S. And Vietnam Build Trust Through Exchange Of Letters And Opening 3 MIA Search Areas

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta accepts letters from Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh, in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 4, 2012. The letters were written by American service members from the Vietnam war. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

U.S., Vietnam Build Trust Through Exchange Of Tender Relics -- Washington Post

HANOI — Vietnamese forces seized the letters from the corpse of a young U.S. Army sergeant named Steve Flaherty after he was killed in battle more than four decades ago.

A few miles south, a U.S. Marine similarly took a thin maroon diary off the chest of a Vietnamese soldier lying dead in a machine gun pit after a firefight.

The two items — relics of a bygone era when the United States and Vietnam were bitter enemies — on Monday became symbols of the evolving U.S.-Vietnamese relationship.

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More News On U.S. - Vietnam Cooperation In Finding MIAs And Exchanging Personal Mementos

Vietnam MIAs: Vietnam opens three sites for US M.I.A. hunt -- Christian Science Monitor/Reuters

Hanoi opens 3 MIA search areas, releases letters -- AP
Vietnam opens new areas in search for missing US soldiers -- BBC
Vietnam opens new areas for US MIA search -- AFP
Diary, Letters Help Cement Ties Between U.S., Vietnam -- US Department of Defense
U.S. and Vietnam Exchange War Letters -- Wall Street Journal
U.S., Vietnam exchange personal war artifacts -- Marine Times
Excerpts from 3 letters US soldier planned to send home during Vietnam -- Washington Post/AP
Servicemember's letters from Vietnam to be returned to family -- Stars and Stripes

U.S. - Vietnamese Defense Ties To Strengthen

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, shakes hands with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 4, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Former Enemies Vietnam, US Ramp Up Defense Ties -- Voice of America

HANOI, Vietnam - Defense chiefs from former foes Vietnam and the United States met Monday in Hanoi to ramp up ties at a time of rising tensions in the South China Sea.

In Hanoi’s searing hot mid-morning sunshine, defense chiefs of two nations once at war took part in a poignant exchange of war memorabilia, the diary of a Vietnamese soldier killed in action and letters written by an American officer serving in Vietnam.

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More News On Closer U.S. - Vietnamese Defense Ties

Panetta works to repair U.S.-Vietnam ties during historic visit -- L.A. Times
Panetta first top US official since war to visit old Vietnam Navy base -- Stars and Stripes
US sees strategic role for Vietnam's southern port -- AFP
Cam Ranh Bay Lures Panetta Seeking Return to Vietnam Port -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Access to Pacific harbors key to U.S. strategy: Panetta -- Reuters

Leon Panetta Is First Top U.S. Official Since War In Cam Ranh Bay

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks to crew members aboard the USNS Richard Byrd and their Vietnamese counterparts in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, June 3, 2012. Panetta is the first defense secretary and the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the Vietnamese port since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 and the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam 17 years ago. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Leon Panetta Becomes Highest Ranking Official To Visit Vietnam Base Since War -- The Telegraph

Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, became the highest ranking official to visit a key Vietnam base used by American troops during the war as part of a major push to expand its naval presence in Asia.

Cam Ranh Bay and its airfield was one of the three main hubs used by the US until the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 and was then leased to the Soviet Union, which used it throughout the Cold War.

The bay is one of the South China Sea's best natural harbours, and the US hopes to use it to boost its naval presence as it seeks to counter the rise of China's navy.

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More News On US Secretary of Defense Panetta Visiting Cam Ranh Bay

Panetta Is First Top U.S. Official Since War in Cam Ranh Bay -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Pentagon seeks return to long-abandoned military port in Vietnam -- L.A. Times
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta highlights U.S. ties to Vietnam during visit -- Washington Post
Leon Panetta arrives at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam -- MSNBC/AP
US sees strategic role for Vietnam's southern port -- Asia One/AFP
Pentagon seeks return to long-abandoned military port in Vietnam -- McClatchy News
Panetta sends message to China on Vietnam visit -- FOX News/AP

U.S. And Vietnam -- Foes Who Are Now Close Allies

Old U.S. Foe Proves Useful In Asia -- Wall Street Journal

CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam—America is back in Vietnam with a message for the rest of Asia: If you want to have a productive relationship with China, you'd better have a good one with Washington, too.

As President Barack Obama attends a key trade forum in Indonesia this weekend, the U.S. is moving beyond its decadelong focus on the Middle East to concentrate again on the powerhouse economies of East Asia at a time when the biggest success story of them all—China's rise to become the world's second-largest economy—is transforming the entire Asia-Pacific region.

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My Comment: While this relationship is evolving, the average Vietnamese view of American leadership is still "in the toilet".

Will Vietnam And Tthe U.S. Become Friends Because Of China?

China’s Rise Pushes Old Enemies Together -- Financial Times

Nguyen Duc De knows at first hand how alliances can change. The former Vietnamese soldier was stationed on the disputed Spratly Islands in the 1980s, when tensions with China were high following their 1979 border war, and he used to take pot shots at the Chinese marines who approached his base, pretending to be fishermen.

When diplomatic relations between the Communist neighbours were restored in the 1990s, shooting was prohibited, he says, but, as China’s economic and military might has grown over the past decade, strains over contested islands in the South China Sea have been on the rise again.

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My Comment: Vietnam is dreaming if they think that the U.S. will jeopardize their relationship with China over a few islands in the South China seas. To put it bluntly .... China has over $1 trillion in U.S. debt .... and the U.S. know that they must 'toe the line' when it comes to disputes like China's and Vietnam's.

American Vietnam Veterans And Their Vietnamese Foes Find Common Ground

Former Foes Build Friendship Over Lost Soldiers In Vietnam -- FOX News

American Vietnam veterans have helped their former enemies find the remains of 81 soldiers in a mass grave, in the latest sign that the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship is as strong as it’s been since the end of the war.

The Vietnamese military said the U.S. vets helped them locate the grave of soldiers who died over 40 years ago, during what was believed to be a Vietnamese attack on an American base in the Central Highlands. U.S. veterans who served at the base gave the Vietnamese government a map of where they buried the soldiers, and the remains of four of them have been returned to their families. The remaining 77 unidentified remains have been buried in a local military cemetery.

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My Comment: It only took 35 years for the scars to go away .... better late than never.

Enemies Yesterday, Allies Today

Vietnam Memorial (Image from Wikipedia)

US And Vietnam Demonstrate Blossoming Military Relationship -- The Telegraph

Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as a US nuclear supercarrier floated in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's coast.

The USS George Washington's stop, which comes 35 years after the Vietnam War, is officially billed as a commemoration of last month's 15th anniversary of normalised diplomatic relations between the former foes. But the timing also reflects Washington's heightened interest in maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific amid tensions following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which killed 46 sailors. North Korea has been blamed for the attack, but has vehemently denied any involvement.

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More News On U.S. - Vietnamese Relations

Former enemies US, Vietnam now military mates -- AP
US carrier sits off Vietnam shadowed by the Chinese -- Scotsman
Concerned about China's rise, Southeast Asian nations build up militaries -- Washington Post
U.S. military goes back to Vietnam -- Don Surber, Daily Mail

My Comment: Who would have thought this was possible 35 years ago when Saigon felled to the Communists. I know that I never did.

China Surprised By U.S.-Vietnam Nuclear Talks

China Shaken By US Move To Sign Nuclear Deal With Vietnam -- Times of India

BEIJING: China, which has recently dominated the security situation in North Asia, appeared shaken by a surprise move by the US administration to begin negotiations for a civilian nuclear deal with Vietnam.

Washington has confirmed it in negotiation a deal with Vietnam similar to the one it has signed with India. The move has implications for India, which faced Chinese resistance to its nuclear deal with the US. India is also wary about what it regards as China's non-transparent move to sell two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

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Previous Post: U.S. - Vietnam In Nuclear Talks

More News On China's Reaction To U.S.-Vietnam Nuclear Talks

U.S., Vietnam Hold Talks on Sharing Nuclear Fuel, Drawing China Criticism -- Bloomberg
Chinese scholars concerned over US-Vietnam N-talks -- Indian Express
US, Vietnam nuke deal could be 'destabilizing', unsettle China: Experts -- Sify News
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Remarks on US-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation -- China's Ministry Of Foreign Affairs
Vietnam in nuclear talks with US -- Sydney Morning Herald
US, Vietnam in nuclear negotiations -- AFP
U.S. Won't Rule Out Vietnamese Uranium Enrichment -- Global Security Newswire
U.S. Confirms Nuclear Negotiations with Vietnam -- CRIEnglish
Vietnam denies nuclear talks -- Straits Times

My Comment: The Chinese are not the only ones who are surprised .... I am personally in shock.

U.S. - Vietnam In Nuclear Talks

US And Vietnam In Controversial Nuclear Negotiations -- The Guardian

Nuclear agreement would be without usual restrictions on enriching uranium imposed on other nations.

The US is said to be negotiating a controversial agreement with Vietnam to provide nuclear fuel and technology without the usual constraints on enriching uranium to prevent proliferation.

The deal has been under discussion for several months following Hanoi's announcement of plans to build 14 nuclear power stations over the next 20 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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More News On U.S. - Vietnam Nuclear Talks

U.S., Hanoi in Nuclear Talks -- Wall Street Journal
US, Vietnam in advanced nuclear negotiations: report -- AFP
US, Vietnam in nuke talks -- News24
US 'in nuclear talks with Vietnam' -- Al Jazeera
U.S., Vietnam Pursuing 123 Agreement -- CSIS
U.S.-Vietnam Atomic Deal Said to Permit Uranium Enrichment -- Global Security Newswire

My Comment: This will not only undercut nonproliferation efforts, but a guarantee to rile China.