A leaked Vietnamese military document reveals the country’s armed forces are preparing for a potential American invasion, even as Vietnam maintains its highest-level diplomatic relations with Washington, established just one year ago.
Secret Military Planning Exposed
The internal Vietnamese military document, analyzed by The 88 Project, shows defense planners considering the United States a belligerent power despite ongoing diplomatic cooperation. Ben Swanton, co-director of The 88 Project and the report’s author, emphasized this represents a government-wide consensus rather than fringe thinking within Vietnam’s Communist Party leadership.
The 2024 military assessment acknowledges little current war risk but warns of the American belligerent nature requiring vigilance. Vietnamese planners specifically worry about the US and allies creating pretexts for invasion while pursuing military relationships across Asia to form an anti-China coalition.
Three-Administration Strategy Analysis
Vietnamese military analysts tracked American strategy evolution across the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. The document identifies a consistent pattern of Washington building Asian military partnerships while viewing Vietnam as both a strategic partner and a target for democratic value imposition. Defense planners fear American efforts to gradually transform Vietnam’s socialist government system through promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights initiatives.
What This Means for US-Vietnam Relations
This revelation complicates the narrative of improving US-Vietnam relations following recent high-level diplomatic engagements. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam in November 2025, while previous exchanges included Vietnamese Defense Minister visits to the Pentagon. The document suggests Vietnam simultaneously pursue diplomatic cooperation while preparing military contingencies against potential American aggression, reflecting the complex geopolitical calculations facing nations caught between US and Chinese influence in the South China Sea region.
Ummmm, ya, if I was Vietnam, I would be more concerned about China invading than the US. After all, that is the last party they had a war with and seem more intent on expansionism in the region.
I’m not so sure Vietnam is even a threat to the USA. We have far more dangerous countries to be concerned about.