The Vietnamese have one of the most positive opinions of the United States.
Executive summary
Longstanding poll data and multiple analyses show that Vietnam is among the countries with unusually high public favorability toward the United States, a trend noted in major surveys and summaries of bilateral relations [1] [2] [3]. That favorable public view coexists with strategic caution from Hanoi’s leadership and specific demographic variations—especially among overseas Vietnamese—so the picture is positive but nuanced [4] [5] [6].
1. Favorability: polls and reporting that place Vietnam near the top
Multiple reputable sources report that a large majority of Vietnamese express favorable views of the United States: a 2015 Pew survey found about three-quarters of Vietnamese (76%) held a favorable opinion of the U.S., a finding repeatedly cited in summaries of the relationship [1] [3], and encyclopedic accounts likewise note that “the Vietnamese public, unlike in other communist countries, has a favorable view of the U.S.” [2].
2. Why public opinion skews positive: economics, soft power and strategic balancing
Analysts tie Vietnamese warmth toward the U.S. to growing economic ties, admiration for the U.S. economy, and American soft power, and note that closer U.S.-Vietnam relations have been pursued especially amid Hanoi’s territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea—factors that push public sentiment in a pro‑U.S. direction [1] [2]. The development of trade, investment and people‑to‑people links has underpinned that shift, reflected in reporting that frames U.S.-Vietnam ties as stronger than they have been in decades [3] [4].
3. Demographics and diaspora amplify pro‑U.S. signals but add complexity
Vietnamese Americans are among the most pro‑U.S. groups in polling: Pew found roughly 84% of Vietnamese American adults hold a favorable view of the United States, with 57% saying their opinion is “very favorable,” and broader Pew snapshots show majorities of Vietnamese Americans with positive views of both the U.S. and Vietnam [5] [6]. Domestic Vietnamese public opinion also shows variation by education and generation—reporting has noted higher favorability among more highly educated groups and a changing public face as younger cohorts enter the workforce [3] [7].
4. Hanoi’s calculus: public friendliness does not erase political wariness
Official Vietnamese policy remains careful: while opinion polls show positive views among the public, U.S. government documents and analyses emphasize that many Vietnamese officials remain suspicious of U.S. intentions—particularly fears that engagement might be aimed at undermining the Communist Party’s monopoly on power—so government-level relations are cautious and calibrated even as public sentiment warms [4] [8]. Congress and think‑tank summaries reiterate that Hanoi balances economic and strategic benefits from Washington with concern about Beijing’s reaction and internal political stability [4] [2].
5. Limitations, timeframes and the headline claim
The headline claim—that “the Vietnamese have one of the most positive opinions of the United States”—is supported by multiple cited surveys and reporting that rank Vietnam among countries with especially high favorable ratings toward the U.S. [1] [3] [2]. However, much of the widely cited quantitative evidence dates to mid‑2010s Pew work and subsequent summaries; domestic attitudes evolve with geopolitics, economic ties and generational change, and official documents warn that elite attitudes diverge from public warmth—caveats that counsel against a static interpretation without consulting fresh, representative polls [1] [4] [8].