(VOVworld) – Vietnam and the US have overcome the past memories of war and development prospects between the two countries are irreversible. These are the common views of the American people regarding President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam.
American observers and analysts said the visit was successful and was followed by important outcomes including the US’s decision to fully remove the weapons embargo on Vietnam, economic deals worth billions of USD, and an agreement on climate change partnership. American scholars appreciated the removal of the weapons embargo on Vietnam, considering it an appropriate move at the present time.
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Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimon Research Center, Richard Cronin
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Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimon Research Center, Richard Cronin, says: “I think the most dramatic thing to come out of the meeting is to allow Vietnam to buy US arms or even give arms or other aid to Vietnam. It’s not to provoke conflict but to help Vietnam be strong enough. It’s recognized that when a big power tries to push a smaller power around, that’s destabilizing.”
Michael Green, former Director of the National Security Council, said the US wants to support Vietnam in improving its maritime security capacity and contribute to regional peace: “The US has two major interests that relate to the arms embargo and Vietnam-US cooperation. Number 1 is, strategically, the US and Vietnam have many common interests in a stbale Aisa where countries are able to determine their independence and sovereign position without pressure from large countries. The second big interest we have is helping Vietnam have a better capability to protect its own sea lanes and waters. So the arms embargo is an obstacle to both of those.”
Marvin Ott, Professor on East Asia at Johns Hopkins University, said President Obama has created a foundation for closer security relations between the two countries, in the East Sea issue as well as in other matters. “The basic sort of premise that the President was operating under that it’s possible for the US and Vietnam to establish an increasingly close strategic security, cooperation, focusing, particularly on the South China Sea but not limited to that.”
Marvin Ott said the warm welcome by the Vietnamese people was impressive and beyond his imagination. After the war and its miserable consequences, the Vietnamese and Americans have found basic similarities and sympathy.
Lawyer Tran Dinh Hoanh, a Viet Kieu living in Stafford, said almost all the Vietnamese living in the US are delighted at Obama’s visit. “It’s a natural sentiment. I’m very glad when Vietnam has good relations with other countries. A friendly country will have opportunities to develop socially and economically.”
Professor Pham Quang Hung from Virginia University: “I’m very glad about the success of Obama’s visit to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people’s warm greeting for him. I was moved to hear Obama’s decision to lift the weapons embargo and the US’ military cooperation with Vietnam over the East Sea issue. The visit will pave the way for bilateral cooperation in economics, education, and security.”
American scholars said the US’ cooperative policy with Vietnam has been maintained through generations of Presidents and ruling Parties and is an irreversible trend.