if China and its pro-hegemonic coalition grow in power and Vietnam becomes increasingly nervous about its vulnerability to China’s focused strategy, would it make sense for the United States to ally with Hanoi? Vietnam’s traversable land border with China makes much of its key territory difficult to defend against Beijing, especially given that the US military’s advantages are particularly great in aerospace and maritime operations rather than on land. The United States should seek to avoid having to confront this dilemma by empowering Vietnam to defend itself.
