Vietnam - US Relations: Expecting a Breakthrough
(Baonghean.vn) - 28 years is not a long time in the history of Vietnam - US relations, but what the two countries have achieved has created the foundation for the opening stage and is expected to go further in the future.
US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam on September 10-11, 2023 is not only an opportunity for both sides to review the past journey, but also to orientate a breakthrough for bilateral relations.
Special marks
More than a quarter of a century ago, on the night of July 11, 1995 (US time), early morning of July 12, 1995 (Vietnam time), US President Bill Clinton officially announced the normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. No one could have imagined that the two countries, which were once sworn enemies, could put an end to their painful past and together enter a new chapter in the history of the two countries. This event had a special significance, surpassing the expectations of outsiders and insiders. Since then, the Vietnam-US relationship has made great strides with a memorable milestone being the two sides upgrading their bilateral relationship to Comprehensive Partnership in 2013. This is the first “framework” established between the two countries since the normalization of relations, setting out the framework for cooperation between the two countries in many fields and according to basic principles, such as respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, equal cooperation, mutual benefit, on the basis of international law. According to observers, the past 10 years have been the strongest, most comprehensive, and most profound period of development in the Vietnam-US relationship spanning nearly 3 decades.
In fact, after the normalization of diplomatic relations, US Presidents, whether Democratic or Republican, have chosen Vietnam as a destination for their foreign visits. This shows the great consensus between the two parties in valuing the relationship with Vietnam. From the first visit of President Bill Clinton in 2000, to the subsequent visits of President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and President Donald Trump, all have promoted closer relations between the two countries.
On the Vietnamese side, in June 2005, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai visited the United States at the invitation of President George W. Bush. This was the first time a Vietnamese Prime Minister visited the United States since the war. In recent years, the two countries have had a series of high-level contacts through diplomatic visits and sideline meetings both in the region and in the United States. Most notably, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the White House - the first and historic visit by the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam. At that time, the two sides issued a Joint Vision Statement, emphasizing the framework of long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation, and emphasizing the principles guiding the relationship, including the principle of respecting each other's political institutions. It can be said that in bilateral relations between countries, high-level diplomatic activities always play the most important role in shaping the level of cooperation and engagement as well as the importance of each side. Visits between Vietnamese and US leaders have helped enhance understanding and deepen bilateral relations in recent times.
Outstanding achievements
With diplomacy “opening the way”, Vietnam-US relations have been given momentum for cooperation in many fields with outstanding results over the past decade. Economic cooperation has always been a bright spot in bilateral relations. Over the past 10 years, two-way trade turnover has increased more than 5 times, from 25 billion USD in 2012 to nearly 139 billion USD in 2022; Vietnam has risen to become the 7th largest trading partner of the United States worldwide. US investment in Vietnam has continuously increased and especially investment by Vietnamese enterprises in the United States is also becoming a trend.
There are also positive cooperations in other areas, including a bright spot in the field of education. Every year, about 23,000 to 25,000 Vietnamese students study in the United States; before the Covid-19 pandemic, there were years when the number reached more than 31,000 students. Vietnam is the leading country in Southeast Asia and the 5th in the world in terms of the number of students studying in the United States. In addition, in the field of tourism, visitors from the "land of the stars and stripes" always maintain in the top 5 of international visitors to Vietnam.
The United States has actively supported Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of war, improving the capacity of the Coast Guard, and supporting Vietnam's international peacekeeping forces. Vietnam, the United States, and other countries actively cooperate to maintain freedom of navigation and enforce the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the East Sea. The United States has also actively supported Vietnam in combating climate change, rising sea levels, and many health and medical programs in Vietnam.
During the 10 years of Comprehensive Partnership, Vietnam - US relations have developed in all aspects, from politics, economics to building trust, creating a mutually beneficial cooperative environment in the common space in Asia - Pacific, including ASEAN for peace and common prosperity.
Faith in the future
Nearly three decades have passed, Vietnam - US relations have made great strides not only in the areas of cooperation as seen by numbers, but more importantly, trust between the two sides has been strengthened, and mutual respect for institutions has been promoted. This is an important foundation for the relationship between the two countries to go further, especially when the room for cooperation is not small.
The strategies, policies, and perspectives of both Vietnam and the United States place this bilateral relationship at the center of their overall future development. The United States Indo-Pacific Strategy makes clear that Vietnam and its partnership with Vietnam are central to the United States’ commitment to this vital region.
In March, during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong suggested that the two countries make economic, scientific and technological cooperation the focus and driving force of the relationship. According to experts, trade and investment remain the core of the Vietnam-US bilateral relationship. The US wants to find a secure and flexible semiconductor supply chain from Vietnam, while Vietnam seeks greater investment and access to the US market, in the context of many fluctuations in the global economy. During her visit to Vietnam in July, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seemed to reinforce the US commitment to support Vietnam's economic reform and global integration, promoting the shift of activities in the goods supply chain, aiming to give Vietnam a privileged position in the US global supply chain. Vietnam’s reforms in an educated workforce, green energy, and highly skilled suppliers are also opening up opportunities to attract more FDI from the United States.
According to Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh - former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the progress in the relationship between Vietnam and the United States, although not yet named, the "strategic quality" is already there. The domestic and international context has changed a lot after a decade, creating opportunities for both countries to find new cooperation directions and define this promising relationship.
US President Joe Biden will pay a state visit to Vietnam on September 10-11 at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. This is President Biden's first visit to Vietnam since taking office in early 2021 and also the first US President to visit at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The event takes place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.
