President Biden starts Hanoi visit to boost Vietnam-US ties

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon, beginning a two-day visit that aims to bring U.S.-Vietnam relations to a new height.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a solemn reception ceremony for the U.S. guest, followed by an official dialogue at the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) headquarters.

The visit marks several firsts. This is President Biden’s first trip to Vietnam after his inauguration in January 2021, and the first visit by a U.S. president at the invitation of a CPV chief as the two countries celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership. Vice President Kamala Harris paid an official visit to Vietnam in August 2021.

During his stay, President Biden is scheduled to meet with the three other highest leaders of Vietnam, namely his counterpart Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The U.S. president and PM Chinh will attend a high-level Vietnam-U.S. conference on innovation and investment, witness the exchange of war artifacts and the signing of a large number of agreements and contracts worth up to billions of dollars.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc described the visit as “extremely special”, marking a milestone in Vietnam-U.S. relations and indicating that the U.S. respects Vietnam’s political regime.

The visit will “open up a new chapter in Vietnam-U.S. relations, and create more favorable conditions for Vietnam to gradually have a higher position in regional and global value chains,” said Vietnamese ambassador to the U.S. Nguyen Quoc Dung. The visit will also further promote bilateral cooperation in green economy, digital economy, and high technology.

Since the two former war foes normalized diplomatic relations in 1995 and established a comprehensive partnership in 2013, bilateral ties have enjoyed robust growth in all aspects, from political-diplomatic to economic, education, technology and defense-security.

Bilateral trade has skyrocketed more than 270 times since 1995, from $450 million in 1995 to $124 billion in 2022. The U.S. has become for years Vietnam’s largest export market while the latter has become the former’s 7th largest trade partner.