Vietnam and US have forced ‘robust, dynamic’ relations: Blinken

A decade since the United States and Vietnam launched Comprehensive Partnership, and nearly 28 years since the two countries normalized relations, “our nations have forged a relationship that’s robust, dynamic, and consequential,” Blinken said at a press meet in Hanoi.

Blinken said it’s one of the most dynamic and important relationships to the Biden administration.

Regarding security cooperation, Blinken said the U.S. has supported Vietnam with 24 patrol boats, equipment and training facilities since 2016. Plans to hand over a third patrol vessels are being finalized, he added.

Such resources would help Vietnam improve its capabilities to contribute to maritime peace and stability on the South China Sea, Blinken said, adding that he believes the two countries’ bilateral relations would further develop for many decades to come.

The U.S. handed over two Hamilton-class vessels to Vietnam in 2017 and 2021 through the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.

Blinken also remarked about the time period when the U.S. lifted the trade embargo on Vietnam in 1994, trade between the two countries was nearly zero. But by 2015, when he first came to Vietnam, the Vietnam-U.S. trade has reached $45 billion and the numbers kept increasing.

The two countries are now moving towards the bilateral trade goal of $140 billion, he added.

Blinken said that besides trade and investment, Vietnam and the U.S. are also cooperating in nearly every field that is important to both countries’ people, including science and technology, climate change response and food security.

Blinken landed in Hanoi Friday night to begin his three-day visit to Vietnam per an invitation by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. He also broke grounds on the new U.S. embassy compound in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District Saturday morning.

This is Blinken’s first visit to Vietnam as a Secretary of State. He visited Vietnam in 2015 and 2016 as the Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama administration.

Vietnam and the U.S. upgraded their relationship to comprehensive partnership in 2013.

The two countries’ bilateral trade turnover reached over $123.86 billion in 2022, an 11% increase from 2021. The U.S. is also the largest export market and the second-largest commercial partner for Vietnam.

Direct foreign investments from the U.S. to Vietnam reached over $11 billion, accounting for over 1,200 projects, placing it at 11th place among all countries and territories that invest directly into Vietnam. There are around 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the U.S., contributing $1 billion to the country’s economy.