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"This occasion has been years in the making, and it's the culmination of dedicated, and often creative, engagement between countless American and Vietnamese diplomats," Blinken said at the ceremony.
The compound is being built on a 3.2-hectare land lot that will be leased for 99 years at Pham Van Bach Street, Cau Giay District.
Blinken said the new embassy compound "represents another significant step toward strengthening the vital partnership between our nations and our people."
He said that in 1995, when Secretary of State Warren Christopher came to Hanoi to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam, opening the U.S. embassy was a key part of that effort.
"Back then, things looked a little different at the U.S. embassy. There were fewer than 30 American employees.
"Since then, a few things have changed... And the small team that opened our embassy has grown to include more than 600 American and local staff."
He said the embassy has played an important role the past 27 years to enhance bilateral cooperation in many fields from improving public health, expanding economic opportunities to accelerating clean energy transition and addressing war legacy.
The new eight-story embassy compound will have four times the number of booths that handle consular procedures, to improve visa and passport issuance services.
Construction is expected to take six years, create jobs for around 1,800 local people and contribute $350 billion to Vietnam’s economy, Blinken said.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (4th, L) joins Vietnamese and U.S. officials to break ground on the U.S. embassy compound in Hanoi, April 15, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh |
The compound is designed by an American company, inspired by Vietnam's topography and Hanoi's urban architecture. The building's foundation is made of basalt, a stone available both in Vietnam and the U.S. It will be built with many reusable materials and designed to be energy-saving and flood-resistant.
Vietnam and the U.S. agreed on on the location for the campus in 2019. The Hanoi People's Committee issued a decision to lease the land in 2021. The land lease agreement was signed on August 25, 2021 in Hanoi with the visiting U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
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The design of the new U.S. embassy compound in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh |
Blinken landed in Hanoi Friday night to begin his three-day visit to Vietnam per an invitation by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.
This is Blinken's first visit to Vietnam as a Secretary of State. He visited Vietnam in 2015 and 2016 as the Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama administration.
Vietnam and the U.S. upgraded their relationship to comprehensive partnership in 2013.
The two countries' bilateral trade turnover reached over $123.86 billion in 2022, an 11% increase from 2021. The U.S. is also the largest export market and the second-largest commercial partner for Vietnam.
Direct foreign investments from the U.S. to Vietnam reached over $11 billion, accounting for over 1,200 projects, placing it at 11th place among all countries and territories that invest directly into Vietnam. There are around 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the U.S., contributing $1 billion to the country's economy.
The two countries' defense and security cooperation has also strengthened, with the U.S. transferring two Hamilton-class vessels to Vietnam in 2017 and 2021. U.S. ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper in April last year said the U.S. was ready to transfer a third Hamilton-class vessel to Vietnam, but did not mention a specific time frame.
