Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hà Kim Ngọc. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam visit by US President Joe Biden from September 10-11 is a special event for both nations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hà Kim Ngọc told the press.

Ngọc said it will be the first State-level visit by the US President at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), coinciding with the 10th anniversary of bilateral comprehensive partnership.

It is also the first time both the President and Vice President of the US have visited Việt Nam during a single term. This visit will be a continuation of the tradition in the Việt Nam-US relationship throughout nearly 30 years that the sitting US President have visited Việt Nam.

The visit underscores the importance the two countries attach to each other in their foreign policies and their policies towards the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean in particular.

For the US, the visit reflects its appreciation for Việt Nam’s political regime, the role of the CPV and its General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, and Vietnamese leaders. It is also a significant milestone in the joint efforts of the two countries to realise the wish of President Hồ Chí Minh as expressed in his February 1946 letter to US President Harry Truman for Việt Nam to have full cooperation with the US, Ngọc remarked.

In nearly three decades since the normalisation of bilateral relations, two-way trade has seen remarkable and impressive growth, soaring from US$450 million in 1995 to $123 billion last year. Việt Nam has become the seventh largest trade partner of the US globally and its biggest trade partner in ASEAN. Since 2022, the US has become Việt Nam’s largest importer with a value of $100 billion.

In terms of investment, the US has been one of the leading investors in Việt Nam, with over $11 billion last year, not including investments through US company branches from third countries.

Several Vietnamese firms have also invested billions of USD in the US, contributing to generating thousands of jobs for American workers.

According to the official, economic, trade and investment cooperation will remain a high priority, a cornerstone, and a driving force of bilateral relationship. Both nations will focus on cooperation in developing infrastructure, training high-quality human resources, energy transition, digital economy and green economy.

Attention will be also paid to digital technology, artificial intelligence, energy transition, biotechnology, health care and pharmaceuticals.

Another important area is cooperation in overcoming war consequences, along with UN peacekeeping activities, military medical training, search and rescue, and maritime and aviation capacity improvement.

At global and regional forums, the two countries will strengthen coordination in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the UN, and especially work closely together to deal with global challenges such as climate change; energy, food, water and health security. — VNS