'Second invasion plan': Was Vietnam preparing for Trump-led US attack? Military documents reveal...
An internal Vietnamese defense document reveals Hanoi quietly prepared for a possible US “war of aggression” despite upgraded ties. The report shows deep fears of regime change, skepticism of US intentions, and strategic anxiety shaped by China, Cuba, and recent US actions.
Vietnam planned attack on US?
In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that Vietnam was taking steps to prepare for a possible American “war of aggression” and considered the United States a “belligerent” power, according to a report quoted by news agency AP. This comes even as relations between Vietnam and the US improved in 2025. Ben Swanton, co-director of the 88 Project, a human rights organization focused on human rights abuses in Vietnam, claimed that the fear of external forces fomenting an uprising against the Communist leadership is present across the government and across different ministries.
What was the document and what it revealed
The original Vietnamese document was titled “The 2nd US Invasion Plan” and was completed by the Ministry of Defense in August 2024, according to AP. It said that while there is "little risk of a war against Vietnam,” currently, the “belligerent nature” of the US prompts them to be vigilant. It also points out that America in its attempt to “strengthen deterrence against China” may apply “unconventional forms of warfare and military intervention and even conduct large-scale invasions against countries and territories that ‘deviate from its orbit.’”
Why Vietnam doubts America's intentions?
Despite the previous Biden administration signing a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with Vietnam in 2023, elevating relations between the nations to their highest diplomatic level on par with Russia and China as “trusted partners with a friendship grounded in mutual respect,” Hanoi has its doubts. The document claims that Vietnamese military thinks that the US wants to “spread and impose its values regarding freedom, democracy, human rights, ethnicity and religion” across Vietnam and gradually “change the country’s socialist government.”
What is the response of Vietnam and US on the report
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not answer emails by AP seeking comment on The 88 Project report or the document it highlighted. The US State Department refused to comment directly on the issue but stressed the new partnership agreement, saying it “promotes prosperity and security for the United States and Vietnam.” “A strong, prosperous, independent and resilient Vietnam benefits our two countries and helps ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains stable, secure, free and open,” the State Department said.
Cuba, Venezuela, and lingering strategic anxiety
Trump administration's move to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have fuelled the Vietnamese fear and provided a base to its leadership to rely on its document. conservatives. Nguyen Khac Giang, of Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute research center to AP, “Any US military action involving Hanoi’s ally Cuba could upset Vietnam’s strategic balance.” Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, said to AP, “The Vietnamese are going to be confused by the Trump administration, that is willing to violate the sovereignty of states and remove leaders they don’t like."
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