Trump, Vietnam's president discuss Asia security

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on Wednesday, discussing the regional security situation, growing bilateral defense ties and trade, Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The presidents agreed, via a phone call, to continue cooperating for peace, stability and development in the South China Sea, which is known as the East Sea in Vietnam, and the entire world.

Trump, who visited Hanoi last November, pledged to push for efforts to fix damage from the Vietnam War, including a dioxin cleanup project at Bien Hoa Airport, a former U.S. air base, near Ho Chi Minh City.

He also sent greetings to Vietnam as the country is celebrating the Lunar New Year, which peaks on Friday.

The conversation came ahead of a trip to Da Nang in March by the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the first such visit by an American carrier since the Vietnam War and a dramatic sign of deepening military ties between the two countries.