HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Vietnam on Sunday, emphasizing the importance of healing the wounds of the Vietnam War as a cornerstone of the bilateral defense relationship. This visit, marking 30 years of diplomatic ties and two years since the upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, underscores Washington’s efforts to strengthen ties with a historically cautious ally. Hegseth highlighted that addressing the war’s legacy, which concluded 50 years ago, remains a top priority for the U.S. administration and the Department of Defense. His trip follows a meeting with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since the normalization of relations in 1995, the U.S. and Vietnam have collaborated on clearing unexploded ordnance, recovering missing service members’ remains, and cleaning up dioxin contamination from former U.S. air bases. These efforts, though temporarily disrupted by funding cuts, have resumed and are seen as vital to stabilizing bilateral relations. Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, noted that war legacy cooperation provides essential political cover for Vietnam to deepen ties with the U.S. while maintaining its strategic autonomy. Hegseth’s visit comes at a pivotal moment, as Vietnam’s Communist Party chief recently visited North Korea, and reports suggest Hanoi may purchase Russian fighter jets. These moves reflect Vietnam’s hedging strategy amid uncertainties about U.S. reliability in the Indo-Pacific. Despite challenges, Hegseth’s visit signals Vietnam’s deliberate, albeit cautious, deepening of defense ties with the U.S.