Officials say the move will help Hanoi beef up presence in South China Sea

The Obama administration said on Thursday that it is moving to partially lift a 30-year-old arms embargo against Vietnam.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told visiting Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh that his department "has taken steps to allow for the future transfer of maritime security-related defense articles to Vietnam", State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.