US vice president Kamala Harris begins Vietnam visit

She will be in Vietnam from August 24 to 26, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Her visit, the first to the country by a U.S. vice president, is part of a trip to Southeast Asia.

Vietnam - U.S. relations have been seeing a positive momentum.

The U.S. has in recent times stepped up cooperation with Vietnam in the field of maritime security.

The U.S. has sold two Hamilton-class patrol boats and a number of Metal Shark patrol boats to help Vietnam enhance its ability to patrol its waters and protect its sovereignty and ensure maritime security.

It has given Vietnam around five million doses of Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax mechanism.

Vietnam is among the top 10 recipient countries under a U.S. program to share millions of doses to improve global vaccination rates.

In 2020, despite the pandemic, bilateral trade grew by 19.8 percent to $90.8 billion, with Vietnam’s exports accounting for $77.1 billion.

In 2021 the U.S. remained Vietnam's largest export market with shipments rising by 37.7 percent year-on-year in the first seven months to $53.7 billion.