WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Washington and Hanoi are discussing possible lifting of the arms embargo, but it will still take some time for major defense contracts and transfers to be reached, The Diplomat reported on Wednesday citing unnamed US and Vietnamese officials.
In 2014, the United States partially lifted the embargo on lethal weapon deliveries to Vietnam by allowing for the future transfer of maritime security-related defense articles to the country.
The United States maintains an arms embargo on weapon sales to Vietnam, which has been enforced since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.
Obama announced in February that he would visit Vietnam in May for the first time. However, US defense officials refused to publicly comment on the issue.
