As US President Barack Obama announced the lifting of the decades-long embargo on sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam, he seemed at pains to explain the decision "was not based on China or any other considerations".<br />Tensions have ratcheted up in the region as China has reclaimed land in massive dredging operations, turning sandbars into islands equipped with airfields, ports and lighthouses.<br />Now Vietnam will be able to access the latest technologies and equipment the US military has to offer.<br />the US announcement is a powerfully symbolic gesture - "proof that the US-Vietnam relationship has fully normalised", as Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang put it.
