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"Thank you for the warm welcome, Vietnam. I know this will be a historic visit," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday night.
In another post later, he published a photo of himself with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and wrote: "It was great to speak with you, General Secretary. As I said earlier, Vietnam and the United States have an enormous opportunity to be critical partners. I know we can achieve the aspiration both countries share for a future of greater peace, security, and prosperity."
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A screenshot of a post by U.S. President Joe Biden on X on September 10, 2023. |
The U.S. president arrived in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon for a two-day state visit at the invitation of Trong, his first official visit to Vietnam since taking office in early 2021.
After a welcome ceremony, the two nations' top leaders held a meeting where it was announced that Vietnam-U.S. relations were now elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, 10 years after they established a Comprehensive Partnership.
At the meeting the two leaders agreed that the most important factors in the development of Vietnam-U.S. ties are full respect for the basic principles that guide their relations, including respect for the United Nations Charter, international law and each other's political institutions, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Speaking with the press after the meeting, Biden also emphasized the message of this "historic visit."
He mentioned the progress in Vietnam-U.S. relations, which had gone from conflict to normalization and elevation in relations, and reiterated that Vietnam is an important partner for the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region.
The White House on Sunday said it will enhance cooperation with Vietnam in science and technology, education, commerce, investment and economy, energy, climate change response, environment, healthcare, security, war legacy remediation and boosting connections between the countries' businesses.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the press after his meeting with General Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi, September 10, 2023. Video by the White House
On Monday Biden is set to meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The two will then attend the Vietnam – U.S. Summit on Innovation and Investment.
Biden will also be welcomed by President Vo Van Thuong at a state banquet.
With this visit, Biden has become the fifth U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the two countries normalized relations in 1995.
Economic cooperation has been a focus in the two countries' relations. Bilateral trade topped US$123.86 billion in 2022, an 11% increase from 2021.
The U.S. is Vietnam's largest export market and its second largest commercial partner. Vietnam is the seventh largest commercial partner for the U.S.
U.S. FDI in Vietnam is worth over $11 billion in over 1,200 projects, the 11th highest of any country.
The countries have also stepped up their collaboration in dealing with the war legacy.
The U.S. has made financial and technical contributions to cleaning up dioxin remains at Da Nang Aiport and is working on cleaning up Bien Hoa Airport.
The two sides have also worked to repatriate the remains of 733 U.S. soldiers who died during the war.
