In June, the two countries agreed to expand defense trade, including possible coproduction of new technologies and equipment, joint operations between their navies and cooperation in global peacekeeping. There is also talk about once again giving the United States access to Vietnam’s ports.
In seeking closer ties with Vietnam, Mr. Obama has come under fire from human rights groups and some Democrats in Congress who criticized Vietnam’s unfair labor practices and low wages. Such complaints are valid. Although the number of political prisoners has declined in recent years and Vietnam ratified the United Nations convention against torture in 2013, more than 100 Vietnamese are still imprisoned on political charges, and dissent is suppressed.
Mr. Obama did not avoid these issues on Tuesday. Standing with Mr. Trong after the talks, Mr. Obama spoke publicly about the political differences — Vietnam is an authoritarian one-party Communist state — and said they candidly discussed human rights and freedom of religion, although there was no mention of concrete progress.