Five cars carrying the U.S. diplomatic delegation departed from JW Marriott Hotel on Do Duc Duc Street in Nam Tu Liem District to the coffee shop at 55 Hang Bun Street in Ba Dinh District at 10 a.m.
Welcoming the delegation were Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Director of State Protocol Department Nguyen Viet Dung.
They chose a large round table inside to drink coffee and talk together.
Antony Blinken (C) drinks coffee at a shop in Hanoi with top Vietnamese and U.S. diplomats, September 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress |
"The U.S. Secretary of State ordered a cup of egg coffee," a source told VnExpress.
After about 30 minutes, the U.S. diplomatic delegation left the café.
Before getting in his car, Blinken smiled and waved to locals in the area.
People capture images of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a Hanoi street on September 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Hai |
Blinken is among the high-ranking officials accompanying U.S. President Joe Biden on his state visit to Vietnam on September 10-11.
In April, Blinken visited Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.
During the visit, he walked around Trang Tien Street, listened to jazz music and ate potted rice. He also participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the U.S. embassy complex in Hanoi.
This is the second time Blinken has arrived in Vietnam as U.S. Secretary of State. In 2015 and 2016, he visited the country twice as Deputy Secretary of State, under the then President Obama's administration.