Vietnam, US in Cautious Dance during Harris Visit

Hanoi's pre-emptive strike against a non-existent threat

By: David Brown

Considering pre-visit speculation in some American media and subsequent reports in Vietnamese media, a reader might conclude that Kamala Harris came to Vietnam bearing a conditional proposal that bilateral ties be raised to a 'strategic partnership' – the better to deal with China's presumption of sovereignty over the South China Sea – an…