Vietnam - US strengthen relations, looking towards the future

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit is of special significance to the future of the Vietnam-US cooperative relationship.

At the invitation of President of the United States of America Donald Trump, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid an official visit to the United States of America from May 29-31. This is Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's first official visit to the United States as Prime Minister and the first contact between a Vietnamese leader and US President Donald Trump since the two countries had new leadership. Therefore, the visit is of special significance for the future of the Vietnam-US cooperative relationship.

Since the normalization of relations, the Vietnam-US political and diplomatic relations have developed steadily. In July 2013, the two countries established a Comprehensive Partnership. On that basis, the Vietnam-US relationship has achieved many new developments in various fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Barack Obama met the press at the White House in July 2015.

The two sides have maintained and increased exchanges of high-level delegations at all levels. In July 2015, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong officially visited the United States, marking a historic milestone in the framework of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries. In May 2016, then-US President Barack Obama officially visited Vietnam. Then, in January 2017, former US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Vietnam... After President Donald Trump was elected, Vietnam and the United States continued to maintain bilateral exchanges and contacts. Most recently, in April 2017, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh officially visited the United States and met with many senior US leaders.

On the positive side, during the meetings, US officials highly appreciated the development of the Vietnam-US relationship; believed that the bilateral relationship would continue to develop strongly; and affirmed that the new US administration continues to value and support the Comprehensive Partnership with Vietnam.

In recent times, trade and investment cooperation activities between the two countries have achieved very positive results. The United States is one of Vietnam's leading trade partners with two-way trade turnover continuously growing at 20% in recent years, estimated at 53 billion USD in 2016.

Regarding investment, by the end of 2016, the United States ranked 8th out of 112 countries and territories with FDI in Vietnam with 815 projects, total registered capital of more than 10 billion USD. The encouraging sign is that US business delegations that have invested or sought investment opportunities in Vietnam all highly appreciate Vietnam's reforms, attractive business investment environment and wish to continue investing and doing business in Vietnam long term.

Education, tourism and people-to-people exchange are also areas where the two sides have effective cooperation. As of November 2016, there were more than 31,000 Vietnamese students and interns studying in the United States, ranking first among Southeast Asian countries, and sixth among countries with the most international students in the United States. Vietnam and the United States are also actively implementing the Fulbright University project in Vietnam.

Regarding cooperation on regional and multilateral issues, Vietnam and the United States have strengthened coordination at regional forums such as APEC, ARF, ADMM+, LMI, EAS, including regional issues such as maritime security, promoting the central role of ASEAN, implementing the US-ASEAN Strategic Partnership as well as other global issues such as counter-terrorism, counter-weapons of mass destruction, etc.

The two sides also continued to dialogue on human rights issues in a frank, constructive spirit and with respect for each other’s differences. In particular, Vietnam and the United States coordinated well to organize the 20th Human Rights Dialogue in Washington DC and the 21st Dialogue round currently taking place in Hanoi.

Responding to the Vietnamese press ahead of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's official visit to the United States, Mr. Anthony Nelson - Director of Albright Stonebridge Consulting Group, former Director in charge of Vietnam issues at the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), on Vietnam-US relations, commented: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's first visit to the United States is also the first visit by a leader of an ASEAN country since the United States had a new administration.

Therefore, the visit is of great significance and is highly symbolic, an opportunity to demonstrate Vietnam's pioneering role in ASEAN and Vietnam's position as a key economic and security partner of the United States.

Taking place on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to the United Nations (1977-2017), within the framework of the visit, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will visit New York City, meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and attend the ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to the United Nations.

With the successes on the existing foundation of cooperation, trust, understanding and mutual respect, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's official visit to the United States will further promote the Vietnam - US Comprehensive Partnership; bring new opportunities for the two countries for the common interests, prosperity and development of the two countries; for peace, stability and cooperation in the region./.

According to VOV