Vietnam's military secretly drafted plans for a potential conflict with the United States, according to a leaked document released by a human rights group. The classified assessment, compiled by Vietnam's Ministry of Defence in August 2024 and titled 'The 2nd US Invasion plan,' was made public on Tuesday by Project88.
The document reveals that Hanoi's defence establishment was privately preparing for a possible 'war of aggression' even as the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. The partnership, announced during former US President Joe Biden's visit to Hanoi in September that year, marked the highest level of diplomatic ties since relations were normalised in 1995.
But the leaked document suggests Vietnamese military planners were treating the United States as a hostile 'belligerent' power and remained deeply suspicious of Washington's intentions. According to Project88, the assessment warns that the US could seek to undermine Communist Party rule through support for a so-called 'colour revolution' and could exploit Vietnam's long coastline and maritime geography in future conflict.
Project88 quoted the document as stating: 'While there is currently little risk of a war against Vietnam, due to the US's belligerent nature, we need to be vigilant to prevent the US and its allies from creating a pretext to launch a war of aggression against our country.' The plan asserts that the US has moved from a Cold War mentality to building relationships whose chief objective is to 'form a front against China'.
The rights group said it obtained the plan from a reliable source and independently verified its authenticity. Ben Swanton, co-director of Project88, said: 'There's a consensus here across the government and across different ministries. This isn't just some kind of a fringe element or paranoid element within the party or within the government.'
