VIETNAM is bracing for a second invasion by the US and its allies under President Donald Trump, according to a report.
A military document, titled “The Second US Invasion Plan,” details how the country views the US promotion of “freedom and democracy” as a ploy to maintain power in the region.
Leaked by the human rights group Project88 today, the plan comes more than 50 years after the end of the Vietnam War – and weeks after Trump threatened to invade Greenland by force.
The assessment suggests the military is deeply suspicious of US intentions and fears that an attack would be ordered as soon as Vietnam refuses to join their “plan to encircle and contain China.”
Tomahawk missiles, drones, ship artillery and helicopters would all be deployed under an imaginary scenario detailed in the report.
If the invasion fails, the US may deploy “biochemical and tactical nuclear weapons” against Vietnam.
This would be followed by a naval attack involving Navy and Marine Corps assets, supported by infantry, strategic bombers and allied navies.
“While there is currently little risk of a war against Vietnam, due to the US’ 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 report says.
“The US and allies could fully exploit the geographic and natural features of Vietnam’s vast seas and long coastlines, with the superior strength of its navy, to conduct military operations against our country.”
The document concludes by urging Vietnam’s military to revise its combat plans to prepare for such contingencies.
Project88 said it obtained the plan from a reliable source and that it had independently verified that the document existed.
Ben Swanton, co-director of Project88, said the idea of a US invasion on Vietnam may seem “absurd” to some, but added that its fears “are more than justified”.
He added: “Project88’s analysis of the plan makes clear that Vietnam’s undisclosed national security policy is based on at least four key tenets: the US is a threat, the Indo-Pacific strategy is a new form of colonial domination, human rights and democracy promotion is an attempt to undermine the CPV, and Vietnam is linked to a shared fate with China.
“These positions overturn more than a decade of America’s Vietnam policy, which was buttressed by uncritical media coverage, and which was premised on the idea that Vietnam could be courted to join an anti-China coalition.”
Swanton added: “Vietnam sees Washington as an existential threat and has no intention of joining its anti-China alliance.
“In this respect the plan upends over a decade of US policy, which has sought to court Vietnam into such an alliance, while turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in service of this goal.”
Since the Vietnam War, in which more than 1.3million people were killed, US-Vietnam relations have transformed from former enemies to partners in the region.
Under the Biden presidency, the two countries elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
This is the highest tier of diplomatic relations, since diplomatic ties were normalised in 1995.
The leak comes amid heightened tensions in the Arctic over Trump’s call for US control over Greenland, citing national security concerns related to Russia and China.
After strong rebuttals from Nato allies, the president pledged to not use military force to seize Greenland – but the overall objective remains the same.
Similar to the plan for the Danish territory, the US has also revived old fears of attacking Canada.
In January, Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself speaking with European allies including Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron – appearing to talk through plans on seizing his North American neighbour.
He is talking next to a map of North and South America, where Canada, Venezuela and Greenland have US flags plastered over them.
