Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh presents his credentials to US President Barack Obama.

During the meeting with the Vietnamese Ambassador, the US President expressed his desire to elevate the partnership between the two countries to a new level.

On February 23 (Washington DC time), at the White House, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the United States of America, Pham Quang Vinh, presented his credentials to President Barack Obama.

President Obama and Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh at the ceremony of presenting credentials.

During the reception for Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh following the presentation of his credentials, President Obama welcomed the Ambassador and his family to Washington D.C., expressing his desire to further deepen relations between the two countries.

President Obama emphasized that the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership, established during President Truong Tan Sang's visit in July 2013, has created a framework for further promoting bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of economics, security, maritime capabilities, climate change and the environment, education, and human rights.

President Obama stated that bilateral relations have made impressive strides over the past 20 years, highlighting the significance of 2015, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as a special opportunity to further strengthen relations in all aspects between the two countries. The United States hopes to continue building on this momentum to enhance cooperation both bilaterally and on regional issues, elevating the partnership between the two countries to a new level, working together to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and promoting shared interests in stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

President Obama hopes to further strengthen the friendship and understanding between the two countries and their peoples, and to address differences openly and frankly.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh expressed his honor at being entrusted with the responsibility of being the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the United States. The Ambassador conveyed greetings and best wishes from Vietnamese leaders to President Obama, and an invitation from President Truong Tan Sang for President Barack Obama and his wife to visit Vietnam in 2015. He also suggested that both sides actively prepare for the upcoming visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the United States, considering these visits as historic milestones in the year marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and creating momentum for further development and deepening of relations between the two countries.

Emphasizing the Comprehensive Partnership framework established in 2013, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh affirmed that in his new position, he will do his utmost to promote the good relations between the two countries on both bilateral and multilateral levels. Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh also stressed that 2015 is a significant year marking the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States, and a major milestone in the long history of bilateral relations. With that significance, 2015 is also an opportunity to further strengthen Vietnam-US relations, for the benefit of the people of both countries and for peace, security, and prosperity in the region and the world. Both sides will coordinate to prepare for high-level visits and organize numerous events in various fields in localities across both countries throughout the year.

Vietnam-US relations have seen significant development in recent years. Political and diplomatic relations have been strengthened with a series of meetings and visits at various levels between the two countries. Economic relations continue to be a highlight; the United States is Vietnam's leading economic partner and export market, with trade turnover reaching nearly $36 billion in 2014. Cooperation in science and technology has seen breakthroughs with the official entry into force of the 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement. Cooperation in education and people-to-people exchanges continue to expand; Vietnam leads ASEAN countries in the number of students studying in the United States, with a total of over 16,500. Security and defense relations have been strengthened; the United States has officially announced the partial lifting of the arms embargo on Vietnam. The two sides also cooperate effectively in regional and international forums.

Looking ahead, bilaterally, both sides will continue to promote the more effective implementation of the nine priority areas of the Comprehensive Partnership, from politics to economics, defense, security, science, technology, education, people-to-people exchanges, and other issues. Regarding multilateral cooperation, both sides share strategic interests in promoting the building of the ASEAN Community and strengthening ASEAN's central role in evolving regional structures, while continuing cooperation in regional forums such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), the Mekong Subregion Initiative (LMI), and United Nations forums.

According to VOV