Vietnam - US relations are being pushed to a very high position.

In just 3 days, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to the United States was considered a complete success by the public. The two leaders discussed and reached very clear commitments, especially on aviation and maritime security. The joint statement after the talks also mentioned promoting the exchange of intelligence information.

In recent years, the senior leaders of the two countries have continuously visited each other, in an effort to promote comprehensive cooperation in the Vietnam-US relationship not only bilaterally but also multilaterally. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's recent official visit to the United States also aimed to contribute to maintaining the momentum of the relationship that the two sides have built over the past 20 years. These contents were clearly stated in the Joint Statement on Strengthening the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and the United States after the talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President Donald Trump yesterday.

More importantly, the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s visit to the US on this occasion also aims to promote the building of trust between the two sides. Such trips will contribute to the two sides understanding each other better, especially helping American politicians, scholars, businesses, investors understand and the American people understand more about Vietnam today, which is striving to innovate, integrate and develop.

Before going to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his entourage stopped in New York, a long-time investment market of President Donald Trump. Here he met with a group of tycoons who are considered to have close ties to President Trump. Mr. David Petraeus, who was present at the meeting, sent a message to the Prime Minister through the press that "we are very optimistic and excited about the economic prospects in Vietnam. We want to invest more there and even help some companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq."

US President Donald Trump greets and shakes hands with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the White House. Photo: Reuters.

In front of 20 American tycoons, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent very clear messages about Vietnam's dynamic, open innovation and increasing friendliness to American investors. He invited investors to come to Vietnam.

The Prime Minister also conveyed a very clear message that after the US withdrew from the TPP, Vietnam is ready to work with the US to build a new economic, trade and investment cooperation framework that is suitable and beneficial for both sides. Many signs show that the two sides have understood these messages and will discuss them in more detail. The talks between Vietnam and the US in the cabinet meeting room were chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President Donald Trump. The two leaders agreed to effectively implement the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement mechanism to handle economic issues in the relationship in a constructive and fair spirit, meeting the legitimate interests of each side. About 20 contracts and documents on trade and investment cooperation between the two countries were exchanged with a total value of over 10 billion USD during this trip.

Another point to note during the Prime Minister’s trip is that the two former enemies have taken a substantial step forward in the fields of national defense and security and intelligence cooperation. The two leaders emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; affirmed their support for the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes.

Right at the White House, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed the possibility of a US aircraft carrier visiting a Vietnamese port, and the recent decision by the US government to transfer a Hamilton-class patrol ship to Vietnam to enhance Vietnam's maritime law enforcement capacity. Right there, President Trump emphasized that the United States will continue to allow ships and aircraft to travel and operate wherever international law allows. As you know, in the Joint Statement, the two leaders also mentioned promoting the exchange of intelligence information. This is an important step forward in the Vietnam-US defense cooperation relationship, an unprecedented new step forward.

What is particularly important is that in this trip, the two sides have outlined a roadmap to promote Vietnam-US relations in the current term. We all know that since President Donald Trump took office, the United States has undergone many changes in the process of shaping its policies and internal situation. Therefore, this trip will contribute to clarifying the roadmap and orientation for the development of Vietnam-US relations in the coming years, and clarifying the motivations to promote the relationship between the two countries to develop more comprehensively within the framework that the two sides have shaped. That is the core point of the trip.

The Joint Statement of the two countries also expressed messages consistent with the previous ones, which satisfied all parties. President Trump expressed his support for Vietnam to successfully organize the APEC Summit and will visit Vietnam to attend the summit. That means that Mr. Trump is looking forward to two events: visiting Vietnam and attending the APEC Summit. It is likely that the President will officially visit Vietnam and attend the Summit. Previously, US leaders often visited Vietnam near the end of their term, but now President Donald Trump will visit Vietnam right from the beginning of his term. That proves that the Vietnam-US relationship is being pushed to a very high position.

Dr. Tran Viet Thai - Deputy Director of the Institute of Diplomatic Strategy, Diplomatic Academy.

According to VNN