In geopolitics, many things can and do change.

One thing that never does is Vietnam's feelings towards China. Which in many ways is more powerful than it ever was before, in spite of its current troubles. Our troubles with Vietnam lasted less than a decade. Their troubles with China go back to 111 BC

So they are going to be cutting deals with whoever they can to make sure China never gets them under its weighty thumb again. Might as well be the US

Biden's pivot to the Pacific is already a great success

I had a history teacher who went to Vietnam, and he said the people were very friendly and accommodating. When he asked if they were still mad about the whole… bombing and killing thing, they said, “not really, we won.”

It's incredibly disheartening to look back at the relation between the U.S. and Vietnam with the frame starting after the end of WW1. Had Ho Chi Minh been given the time of day it's easy to wonder what could have been. The Vietnamese simply wished to follow the example that the U.S. had achieved with breaking away from Colonial rule.

Modern day attitudes really go a long way to show the true character of the Vietnamese. You hear of stories of the Christmas Truce, and opposing sides being relatively friendly after a war concludes, but the Vietnam War feels different. Between the racist dehumanization, war crimes and nature of the war putting civilians directly in crosshairs, you wouldn't be a fool to think that such a conflict would instill a near permanent hatred on both sides. Yet that doesn't appear to be the case. The overwhelming theme from anecdotes of meetings between former soldiers from both sides is an incredible sense of understanding and shared loss. And the onus of all of this lies chiefly with the Vietnamese. There's no reason they should forgive or turn the other cheek considering it wasn't a war they started, but that's not a distinction that really seems important to them.

A country fiercely determined to defend its independence that has thrown off not one, not two, but three separate wars against such independence with each opponent being unarguably more powerful. I can hear an eagle screaming now.

Besides, this is the same Vietnam who kicked China's ass in the very same decade that they forced the U.S. out of their country. At this point I wouldn't bet against the Vietnamese in any conflict if my life depended on it.

Communism bad…until the USA wants something….

Anything to diminish our reliance on China.