Vietnam and US Make Deal to Increase Security Cooperation

Vietnam and the United States have made headway in their relationship as both countries agreed to bolster security relations. On March 16th, Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security, General Tran Dai Quang, held talks with Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), James Comey. Both countries vowed to increase collaboration of their two law enforcement agencies. The increased cooperation between the two countries highlights the need for closer cooperation among nations in the face of rising transnational crime. In addition, these talks follow the recent U.S. decision to lift its arms embargo on Vietnam and it may signal the warming of relations between the two countries. During the talks between General Quang and Director Comey, both countries vowed to increase collaboration in tackling organized crime, drug smuggling, and money laundering. Both leaders cited positive results from information sharing between the U.S. and Vietnam. Furthermore, the US and Vietnam agreed to speed up negotiations and finalize the establishment of a legal framework for crime prevention activities, including an extradition treaty. The US also agreed to transfer the DNA-testing software used by the FBI to the Vietnamese Police.

This instance of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam highlights the growth of international organized crime in the 21st century and the pressure it puts on countries to work together. In 2013, General Quang noted the increase of organized crime in Vietnam following an economic downturn. He argued that “protection rackets, loan-sharking, debt collection, extortion, and gambling were all controlled by criminal organizations now.”  General Quang also noted the rise of several high profile corruption cases across Vietnam. With the sharing of DNA-testing software by the US, Vietnam looks to make significant leaps in its crackdown on organized crime syndicates.

These concerns pertaining to organized crime have been shared by law enforcement in the United States as well. Admiral Paul Zukunft, United States Coast Guard Commandant, claimed the rise of transnational crime in the 21st century was a pressing problem for the United States and its allies. According to Zukunft, transnational crime generates up to 750 billion a year in global revenue. Although transnational crime has historically been regarded as a problem endemic to Africa and Central America, the Indo-Asia-Pacific region has recently become a troubled region as well.

The positive results from the dialogue between Director Comey and General Quang point towards improvements in the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Following the joint statement by President Barack Obama and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang issued after the 6th U.S.-Vietnam Political, Security, and Defense Dialogue, bilateral relationships have been improving. These talks in 2013 helped encourage the U.S. to partially lift its forty year arms embargo on Vietnam. In addition, Vietnam and the United States also agreed to hold joint military exercises and continue their cooperation on important issues, such as counterterrorism and trade. The latest talks between Vietnam and the United States, thus, feature in a larger trend of progress in bilateral relations in the past few years.

However, even with successful talks, numerous difficulties between the United States and Vietnam remain. One is the unique position that Vietnam plays in the geopolitics in the Asian Pacific as Vietnam continues to be caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between the United States and China. Both would like to become the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific, and also seek to absorb Vietnam into their sphere of influence. Yet recently, the United States criticized Vietnam for allowing Russian planes to refuel in a base in Vietnam. Despite the progress made, it remains to be seen whether the recent talks have been genuine progress in US-Vietnam relations or just another move on the geopolitical chessboard of the Asian-Pacific region.