The Interests of the United States and Vietnam in the East Sea

Maritime security issue has recently been becoming a hot global issue. Therefore, it really needs a global solution as stated by Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the virtual International Conference “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation” held on August 9^th 2021. Particularly, territorial disputes in the East Sea ‘Biển Đông’  (internationally named as the South China Sea; in this paper, the author prefers using the East Sea), one of the most strategically  geopolitical regions in the world, have become hotter and hotter recently. The East Sea is important not only to Vietnam’s socioeconomic development and national security but also to all countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including the United States. This paper aims to analyze the interests of both the U.S. and Vietnam in the East Sea towards the two countrie’s strategies of  national security and economic development and maintaining the peace and prosperity for this region and the world.