Vietnam top leader to attend UN General Assembly session, visit Cuba

Vietnam’s highest leader To Lam will attend the United Nations Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York and pay a state visit to Cuba from September 21-27.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam will also hold working sessions in the U.S., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release, without giving a specific agenda.

The United Nations General Assembly is an annual gathering where global leaders meet to discuss the world’s critical issues.

According to Reuters, the Vietnamese leader will meet with representatives from several U.S. corporations, including Google and Meta. No meetings with U.S. government officials have been announced yet.

After his stay in the U.S., Lam will visit Cuba at the invitation of First Secretary of Cuba's Party Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his spouse.

This will be To Lam’s second overseas trip as Vietnam’s highest leader, after a visit to China last month.

Vietnam and the U.S. earlier this month commemorated the first anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and will celebrate 30 years of normalization of diplomatic relations next year. The U.S. is now Vietnam’s second-largest trade partner, with trade turnover reaching nearly $111 billion last year.

Vietnam and Cuba established diplomatic relations in December 1960 during the Vietnam War. Cuban leader Fidel Castro visited the liberated zone in South Vietnam in 1973.

Vietnam is helping Cuba ensure food security, sending some 300,000 tons of rice per year to the island state and experts to assist the latter in several agricultural plantation projects.

Some Vietnamese companies are investing in six projects in Cuba, focusing on construction materials, renewable energy, detergent, and diapers.