United States involvement in the Vietnam War began shortly after the end of World War II in Asia, first in an extremely limited capacity and escalating over a period of 20 years. The U.S. military presence peaked in April 1969, with 543,000 American combat troops stationed in Vietnam.

The U.S. security relationship with Vietnam continues to expand and the two countries share a common vision for the future of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Our security cooperation is based on our mutual commitment to deepen defense cooperation and shared resolve to address regional security challenges.