HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Despite U.S. interest in deeper military ties with Vietnam, the Nov. 2 visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during which he met Communist Party leader To Lam and Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, did not yield an expected announcement on arms sales.

“Deeper [military] cooperation will benefit both of our countries,” Hegseth said ahead of his meeting with Giang.

Despite talks in recent years of Vietnam diversifying its predominantly Russian military arsenal and purchasing U.S.-made weapons, no official announcements have been made on major items. Larger efforts to turn away from Russia as its main arms supplier also appear stalled, as reports indicate Hanoi is using profits from a joint oil venture to acquire Russian weapons.

For Washington, Hanoi is s

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