Kamala Harris plans Vietnam visit – just as Afghanistan draws comparisons to fall of Saigon
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The timing could probably not be worse for the Biden government. Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a trip across the Pacific on Friday with a stopover in Vietnam.
The trip – Harris’ second overseas project since taking office – comes because the current crisis in Afghanistan has drawn many comparisons with the end of US engagement in Vietnam in the 1970s.
The scenes of crowds gathering at Kabul airport this week and US military helicopters arriving to pick up passengers at the US embassy in Afghanistan’s capital brought back gloomy memories of desperate Vietnamese trying to board US helicopters, when they left the embassy in Saigon more than four decades ago.
The Vietnam War era was one of the most divisive periods in American history, with the long conflict influencing Democratic President Lyndon Johnson’s decision not to be re-elected in 1968.
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The prospect of Harris visiting Vietnam at this particular moment raised the possibility of the worst photo opportunity for an American in that country since Jane Fonda donned a helmet there in 1972.
Jane Fonda is seen in Vietnam in 1972 looking through the scope of an anti-aircraft gun during her tour of the North Vietnamese capital. (Getty Images)
Harris had no plans to cancel her trip until Monday, the Washington Post reported.
The Afghanistan crisis prompted President Biden to shorten his Camp David vacation. He returned to the White House on Tuesday evening instead of Wednesday as planned.
‘Last person in the room’
Harris told CNN in April that she was the “last person in the room” when Biden decided to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.
Last weekend, as the crisis unfolded in Kabul, Harris met again with national security advisers from Biden and the White House – but this time Biden was alone at Camp David while others attended from afar.
President Biden speaks with Vice President Kamala Harris and members of his National Security Team at Camp David, Maryland, Aug. 14, 2021. (White House)
Preparatory work in Asia
When Harris arrives in Vietnam next Tuesday after a weekend layover in Singapore, she will be the highest-ranking official in the Biden government to travel to Southeast Asia as the US wants to help its allies in the region deal with China’s close proximity.
“She has a great understanding of the issues and her trip will undoubtedly help advance our interests in this vital region,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement to the Washington Post this week.
Prior to Harris’ scheduled visit, Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently traveled to Japan and South Korea, while Austin also visited Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, according to the Post.
William Danvers, an associate professor at George Washington University, claimed in an essay for The Hill this week that Harris’ experience as a former US Senator from California means “she understands the importance of ties, particularly economic ties, between Asia and the United States the US understands “.
Events this week following President Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan have brought bleak memories of Saigon’s 1975 fall, right. (Associated Press / Getty Images)
In July, Harris spokeswoman Symone Sanders said the vice president would discuss details with Asian leaders about regional security, the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and “our collective effort to promote a rules-based international order” – an indication of regional disputes about China’s claims in the South China Sea.
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Harris visited Guatemala and Mexico in June to investigate the “causes” of the migrant crisis on the US-Mexico border, after she was named President Biden’s main figure in the crisis in March.
This Latin America trip came when Harris was relentlessly criticized for failing to visit US border communities affected by the migrant crisis. Finally, on June 25th, she visited El Paso, Texas, for a few hours.
While Harris was only once outside the US as Vice President, she has met with foreign leaders several times in Washington. Following one such case in May, Harris drew criticism on social media after appearing to wipe her hand after greeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
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