Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
The Current Situation in Vietnam
Nearly 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, and more than a quarter-century since the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations, Vietnam is emerging as a rising power at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region and an increasingly important U.S. partner. Once one of the world’s poorest and most isolated countries, Vietnam is now a middle-income country with a dynamic, young population and a promising future.
Transforming the Legacy of Children Born of War in Vietnam
During and after the Vietnam War, up to 500,000 “children of war” were born to foreign soldiers and local women in Vietnam. Amerasians — children of war fathered by U.S. soldiers — and adoptees raised abroad are now reclaiming their narratives and healing journeys.
Policy of Diversification Helps Vietnam Build Ties with the Indo-Pacific
Vietnam’s leaders have engaged with the presidents of the United States and China over the past few months. While some might see this effort as a “balancing act” in response to U.S.-China competition, it is, in fact, an indication of a long-standing but still highly relevant Vietnamese foreign policy tradition: the diversification of international relations.
Andrew Wells-Dang on Biden’s Trip to Vietnam
The comprehensive strategic partnership announced during President Biden’s trip to Vietnam marks 50 years of progress between the two countries and an “upgrade of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship to the highest level,” says USIP’s Andrew Wells-Dang, while adding a caveat that “it doesn’t mean Vietnam is becoming a U.S. ally.”
Agent Orange Victims in Vietnam: Their Numbers, Experiences, Needs, and Sources of Support
Between 1961 and 1971, US forces sprayed an estimated 12 million gallons of Agent Orange in Vietnam. The effects remain one of the most contentious legacies of the Vietnam War. This report focuses on the hardships faced by Vietnamese people living with Agent Orange–related health problems and disabilities and suggests ways the US and Vietnamese governments can better address the legacy of Agent Orange to provide support to individuals and families, and to strengthen bilateral relations.
US Assistance to Vietnamese Families Impacted by Agent Orange
Addressing war legacies is a top priority for both the US and Vietnamese governments, although cooperation on the impacts of Agent Orange took more than 20 years to develop. This report reviews the history of that cooperation and examines assistance for those affected by Agent Orange, including families and caregivers, in Vietnam. The report identifies a need for comprehensive nonmedical support and offers recommendations to better address this need and further develop bilateral trust and respect.
U.S.-China Competition Presents Vietnam with Risks and Opportunities
In recent years as U.S.-China strategic competition has ramped up, Southeast Asia has been one of the key domains where this rivalry is playing out. Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country that has suffered from direct military confrontations with several major powers. It suffered at the height of the Cold War, and also when the major powers entangled and realigned their relationships when geostrategic factors shifted, such as when the United States and China improved ties in the early 1970s. So, Vietnam is especially sensitive to this intensifying strategic competition and attuned to the impact on its relationships with major powers.
Biden’s Trip to Vietnam Highlights Two-Way Partnership
President Biden’s trip to Hanoi this Sunday signifies the culmination of a 50-year process of rebuilding bilateral relations after the end of the Vietnam War. It is expected that a new “comprehensive strategic partnership”— which is an upgrade from the existing agreement signed in 2013 — will be announced. While many may cast this achievement as a victory for the United States in its burgeoning competition with China, viewing this as a Vietnamese tilt away from China would be mistaken. Instead, the trip represents the evolution of hard-earned trust, cooperation and effective diplomacy — but it does not mean Vietnam is allied with Washington against Beijing.
It Is Time to Account for All Missing Vietnamese
As the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War approaches in 2025, the subject of remains recovery, those missing in action, and the memorialization of war-related dead from the Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam) deserves attention. While the governments of the United States and Vietnam have attempted to locate and honor fallen soldiers, the war dead affiliated with the former RVN have not been officially recognized or effectively addressed.
Piecing Together the Fragments of Memory to Find Vietnamese War Dead
On the afternoon of March 12, 2022, I received an urgent message from Lâm Hồng Tiên, an engineer and close friend who has dedicated more than a decade to researching Vietnam War documents. He informed me about the discovery of a mass grave of soldiers from the 22nd Regiment of the People’s Army of (North) Vietnam (PAVN) who died in a fierce battle in the early morning of December 27, 1966, in Bình Định province. This was not an ordinary discovery — it resulted from the recollection of some U.S. veterans who buried the soldiers after the battle. I was elated by the finding, as I felt we could do something meaningful with it.