(1) John Pomfret, China's rise prompts Vietnam to strengthen ties to other nations. Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102904746.html
(a) Quote:
"But on the other side, the [Military] History Museum was actually making history. Along those walls hung daggers, paintings and quotations from Vietnam's struggle with another rival: imperial China. Battles dating to 1077, 1258 and the 14th and 18th centuries were featured in intricate detail. Putting China on a par with 'Western aggressors' marks a psychological breakthrough for Vietnam's military and is troubling news for Beijing. * * * At the Military Museum, [however], one war gets no treatment at all - the bloody border conflict Vietnam fought with China in 1979.
"'It is always good to have a new friend [United States],' mused [Vietnam] Vice Minister of Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh in an interview. 'It is even better when that friend used to be our foe.'
"'The U.S. fought a war in Vietnam to check China's rise,' said one former senior Vietnamese official * * * 'Now it's pursuing friendly relations with Vietnam . . . to check China's rise.'
(b) Note: Bell UH-1 Iroquois
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_UH-1_Iroquois
(introduced in 1959; US military has phased out but retained the helicopter; in use in many other nations)
(2) John Pomfret, Clinton urges Cambodia to strike a balance with China. Washington Post, Nov. 1, 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/01/AR2010110101460.html
("Vietnam, which is worried about China's influence in Southeast Asia, announced Saturday that it was reopening its naval facilities at Cam Ranh Bay to foreign navies")
My comment: The report is similar to that of WSJ yesterday (Nov. 2), so there is no need to read except the quote.