President Biden cites Vietnamese poem in Hanoi banquet

"Mr. President, the great Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du once wrote, 'In glory they made up for their past hardships, and their love got fresher and warmer each day'," Biden said at the event in Hanoi.

"It's an honor to be here today on this historic occasion, a day when we feel all the glory and warmth of the boundless possibilities that lie ahead - a day that may have seemed impossible not that long ago."

Thuong expressed his belief that with mutual trust, understanding and respect, and the new momentum established during Biden's Vietnam visit, the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, will grow strongly and substantively, bringing practical interests to people of the two countries, and significantly contributing to peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.

The Vietnam-U.S. relationship is at its best ever, he said, calling it a model in the history of international relations in healing and building relations after the war.

He attributed the results to joint efforts in sailing through challenges and ups and downs of the history by generations of leaders, and people of the two countries.

Over the past nearly 50 years, the two sides have witnessed many important events, and the strongest-ever developments, with outstanding achievements in such cooperation areas as economy-trade-investment, education-training, dialogue mechanisms, and coordination in many matters and fields, Thuong said.

He highlighted noted results in settling war consequences like dioxin remediation projects, U.S. support to people with disabilities, and Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims of the second and third generations, and in the clearance of bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war.

Most recently, the two sides have cooperated in examining samples of unidentified Vietnamese martyrs' remains, he continued.

He thanked generations of U.S. authorities and people, especially President Joe Biden and his wife, for their active support to Vietnam in this humanitarian field.

Thuong used this occasion to thank agencies, organizations and individuals of the two countries, over many generations, for their continuous efforts to nurture and develop the Vietnam - U.S. relationship, including late Senator John McCain, Special Envoy John Kerry, and former Senator Patrick Leahy, long-standing friends of Vietnam.

"We will continue these efforts together, preserving, consolidating and developing the Vietnam-U.S. relationship better and further," said Thuong.

Biden spoke highly of the efforts in utilizing the potential of the future between the two countries, stressing they are great opportunities for the prosperity of two peoples.

Mentioning common points and efforts of the two countries, together with efforts in improving and promoting bilateral cooperation, Biden thanked the late Senator McCain, and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry.

This is a testament to the long way the two countries have come, but more importantly, how far they will continue to go in the future, he said.

The two countries have established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development to move forward together, cope with challenges, and embrace the future together, he said.