New milestone in Vietnam - US relations

This is an important milestone for both countries and help elevate bilateral relations to a new height. Twenty-eight years since the two countries officially established diplomatic relations, visits by senior leaders of the two sides have left important imprints on bilateral relations, enabling the two countries to put the past aside, overcome differences, promote similarities, and move into the future on a win-win basis.

Since the two countries normalized their ties in 1995, incumbent Presidents of the US have paid visits to Vietnam. President Biden’s visit, made at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, is particularly significant as it takes place amid the 10th anniversary of the countries’ comprehensive partnership. It is a continuity of previous visits by US presidents – Bill Clinton in 2000, George W. Bush in 2006, Barack Obama in 2016 and Donald Trump in 2017. 

President Biden’s visit to Vietnam marks a decade of the comprehensive partnership of Vietnam and the US. This is the first State-level visit by the US President at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), coinciding with the 10th anniversary of bilateral comprehensive partnership. It is also the first time both the President and Vice President of the US have visited Vietnam during a single term. This visit will be a continuation of the tradition in the Vietnam-US relationship throughout nearly 30 years that the sitting US President have visited Vietnam.

Speaking to the press following the talks between two sides on September 10, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stressed: "On behalf of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, I’d like to warmly welcome the US President, Mr Joe Biden, who has always shown his special affections for Vietnam and Vietnamese people and he, in different positions of his diplomatic career, always gives Vietnam his valuable support for the development of Vietnam – US friendship relations. His current visit to Vietnam coincides with the two countries’ 10 year- Comprehensive Partnership anniversary celebration. I always treasure all the great memories about the US Government’s respectful reception and the warmth of American people for me when I visited the US in July 2015, especially the sincere and interesting discussions between President Biden and me during that trip. I’d like to thank President Biden for his invitation for me to make another visit to the US."

In particular, today, Vietnam-US relations have shown comprehensive and practical developments, positively contributing to security, peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

In the ten years since President Truong Tan Sang and President Barack Obama formed the Vietnam–U.S. Comprehensive Partnership, the two countries have made remarkable strides in increasing mutual understanding, building mutual trust, and strengthening cooperation across all areas of the Comprehensive Partnership. The fundamental principles guiding Vietnam–U.S. relations included respect for the United Nations Charter, international law, and respect for each other’s political system, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. 

Prior to the visit, during their telephone talks in March 2023, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Joe Biden reiterated their invitation to each other. At the talks, US President Joe Biden described Vietnam as an important partner, affirmed his support for an independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam, and reaffirmed his respect for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institution of Vietnam. He agreed that this respect is an important foundation for relations between the two countries.

Addressing to the press following talks with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on September 10, US President Joe Biden also stressed that the two countries are deepening our cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, particularly around building a more resilient semiconductor supply chain. The two countries are expanding our economic partnership, spurring even greater trade and investment between our nations.

"10 years ago, when I was Vice President, we reached a new milestone for the launch of our initial Comprehensive Partnership. I’m incredibly proud of how our nations and our people have built trust and understanding over the decades and worked to repair the painful legacy the war left on both our nations. It’s work that we pledge today to continue — clearing unexploded ordnance, remediating environmental damage from dioxin, expanding support for people with disabilities, and accounting for every American service member still missing in action in Vietnam as well as the fallen or missing Vietnam soldiers from that war. Our cooperation on these painful issues, as well as on forging new legacies, is one of shared peace and prosperity", he said.

The contents of the new partnership inherit existing cooperation contents between the two countries, and will take them to a higher level through the promotion of economic, trade, investment cooperation in the direction that renovation is the foundation, focal point and motivation for the bilateral relations, and the enhancement of cooperation in science-technology is a new breakthrough of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development. In the time to come, relevant agencies of the two nations will work together to realize the adopted agreements, creating conditions for the next development phases.

"Vietnam promotes relations with the US and other international partners in the spirit outlined by President Ho Chi Minh after Vietnam regained independence, which is Vietnam to be a friend of all countries. Regarding the US, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed Vietnam's complete independence and Vietnam's willingness to fully cooperate with the US. Our independence and cooperation are beneficial to the whole world. We all know that through many years, Vietnamese people went through uncountable sacrifice and hardship to defend our nation's independence and regain unification. The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam also set the policy on strengthening and deepening bilateral cooperative relations in the framework of the consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization of external relations; Vietnam is a friend, a trustworthy partner as well as an active and responsible member of the international community", Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed.

Regarding the US President Joe Biden’s State visit to Vietnam, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung said that, as history has proved, the positive and stable development of the Vietnam - US relations will not only practically serve the interests of the two countries' people but also match the trend of peace, cooperation and development, thereby helping with the growth of the US - ASEAN ties and the maintenance of regional and international stability and prosperity.