Pentagon chief urges close ties with Vietnam amid prolonged arms supply talks
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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said deeper military cooperation would benefit both countries.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HANOI – The US wants deeper military ties with Vietnam, said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Nov 2 at the start of a visit to Hanoi amid prolonged talks for the potential supply of military equipment to Washington’s former foe.
Mr Hegseth was expected to meet Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, President Luong Cuong and Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, said a Vietnamese official briefed on the visit.
Mr Hegseth, who arrived in the Vietnamese capital after meetings in Malaysia with Asian counterparts, said prior to meeting Mr Giang: “Deeper (military) cooperation will benefit both of our countries.”
The US had already delivered three cutters to the Vietnamese coast guard and three T-6 trainer aircraft, from an order of 12, and intended to do more, he added.
Planes, helicopters under discussion
In a statement, Vietnam’s Defence Ministry said both governments agreed to continue promoting security cooperation, including in areas such as the defence industry. It also praised the signing of an agreement on Oct 31 to deepen cooperation on war legacy remediation, including for dioxin decontamination.
Talks on US arms supplies are expected to dominate the agenda, according to the official and another Vietnamese source briefed on the matter. Both mentioned Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules military transport planes among the items to be discussed. A US official also confirmed that C-130s would come up in the talks.
One of the Vietnamese sources said the supply of US helicopters could also be discussed, specifically Lockheed Martin S-92s and Boeing Chinooks.
Airport for Chinook helicopters
It was not clear if any deal or announcement would be made on Nov 2, said the sources, who declined to be identified as the information was not public.
Boeing deferred questions on the matter to the two governments.
The Vietnamese government, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin did not respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.
Vietnam, which relies heavily on Russian weapons, has been looking to diversify its arsenal for years.
Talks with the US, which lifted an arms embargo in 2016, gained momentum during the Biden administration but have not yet yielded any formal announcement.
Reuters reported in 2024 on discussions for the sale of C-130 planes to Vietnam’s Defence Ministry, and in July, on a preliminary deal on two S-92 helicopters after years of talks on the matter with its public security forces.
The possible purchase of two or three Chinook helicopters by Vietnam’s police was also under discussion, said one of the sources.
In December 2024, a newspaper controlled by the police said a new airport under development near Hanoi would be suitable for Chinook CH-47D helicopters and other models.
The Chinook was the only aircraft mentioned in the report that is not being used by Vietnamese forces. REUTERS
