| Summary/Abstract |
After 25 years of normalisation, the Vietnam–US relation has developed and yet entered the new expectation to become the strategic partnership. Many motives and obstacles from both sides have had a strong impact on this development. In order to strengthen its presence in Asia and prevent the rise of China, the United States needs the support from the important partners like Vietnam. Likewise, Vietnam also pays high attention to the United States, which is a potential market for the country’s exports, an investor, an advanced technology supplier and an important security supporter in the territorial disputes against China. Such reasons help both sides to be closer and to construct the scenario of new strategic partnership relations. However, the concretisation of this scenario has encountered many difficulties, mostly because Vietnam was not ready enough. Vietnam has not yet been persuaded to trust the United States on many issues; meanwhile, the differences among Vietnamese political groups about promoting the relations with the United States and especially the concern about China’s response to upgrading Vietnam–US relations were the main obstacles for Vietnam to pursue the strategic partnership relations, especially in security and defence cooperation with the United States.
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