Vietnam wins U.S. defense pledges

Reuters ^ | AUGUST 8, 2017 | Eric Beech and My Pham

[gandalftb]

Vietnam has won the promise of a visit from a U.S. aircraft carrier and deeper defense cooperation from the United States..

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich in Washington on Tuesday that a strong defense relationship was based on common interests that included freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

A Vietnam flag flies as U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (L) hosts an honor cordon for Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich (R) at the Pentagon...

[gandalftb]

Seeing the Vietnamese battle flag flying in front of the Pentagon just bothers me.

I know Vietnam can be an important ally and trading partner, and a key block on Chinese expansion.

Their harbor at Cam Ranh Bay would be ideal for a port of call and will have, with our help, the deepest dry dock in the world.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Times change. We fought Germany twice in the last century but they’re an important ally now.

[wastedyears]

Times change. We fought Germany twice in the last century but they’re an important ally now.

How long will that last with their rapefugee invasion and Merkel's bid to resurrect a modern Nazi party? She's already locking people up for anti-muslim language.

[ThanhPhero]

; )

[ThanhPhero]

More like Stasi but they are like two peas in a rotten pod.

[Meadow Muffin]

Having had the pleasure of being in country from 66 - 67, my thoughts of Vietnam as an ally is a difficult pill to contemplate swallowing.

[Flatus I. Maximus]

This must be how my father-in-law felt about accepting that times had changed, and the Japanese had become good friends and valuable allies.

I’m going to need some time to process this one.

[xkaydet65]

We went to war in 64 in RVN to stop communist expansion into SE Asia. That meant the Chinese as the DRV had more limited goals. Are we returning to VietNam to check Chinese expansion. What did Yogi say, “deja vu all over again.”

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

[onedoug]

Thanks for posting.

s, ping....

[Gay State Conservative]

It's entirely understandable that the Vietnamese would be scared silly of China.There's been bad blood between them for a long time and now China's made it clear that it wants control of its coastline.

[ThanhPhero]

You should visit the country. This old soldier did that in 2003 and just keeps going back. It is a fine place to vacation and the people love Americans. You would be surprised at what the old soldiers from the other side have to say about what was right and wrong about that war. If you have any thought about seeing what has become of the country you fought in, you should go and see. Try to remember we did not fight the Vietnamese.

We fought the Communists. They learned some lessons from their failed collectivization efforts. Vietnamese, even Communists are nothing if not practical. Collectivization failed and they ditched it. They are still in charge but they are not real Communists any more. They more resemble Mafia in Sicily or 1950s New York City or Havana with an awareness that Viet Nam must become rich and thus capitalist in order to avoid becoming a province of China. You can't do that by toadying to China. They need America and America needs them. Even Clinton understood that. Obama was put off by the Americophilia of Viet Nam and relations retrogressed.

[redcatcherb412]

You should visit the country

That's OK, i'll let others love the place. I left too much there to give a flying fark about the country or its people.

[bigdaddy45]

Thanks for your post. Wise words indeed.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

It appears the Vietnamese, like the Chinese and Russians, have found Communism is not all it’s cracked up to be.

[ak267]

kind of ironic

they once celebrated their great victory now they come to the US with hand in hand asking for our help

“who runs Barter Town???”

[PAR35]

t's entirely understandable that the Vietnamese would be scared silly of China.

The Vietnamese whipped the Chinese last time they fought in 1979. The Chinese don't have the backing of Jimmy Carter any more.

[dfwgator]

“As for me, I prefer to sniff French shit for five years than to eat Chinese shit for the rest of my life.” - Ho Chi Minh

[Snickering Hound]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War

Vietnam doesn’t like China and fought a border war with the in 79’.

[Publius]

Once asked by his advisors why he didn’t request help from “our fraternal Chinese allies,” Ho responded, “The last time we asked the Chinese for help, they stayed a thousand years.”