The fate of two Vietnamese and American leaders

In 2015, US Vice President Joe Biden welcomed General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the US. On September 10, eight years after his historic visit to the US, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will reunite with Mr. Joe Biden in Vietnam on another historic visit.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US Vice President Joe Biden raise their glasses at a reception in 2015 when the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam visited the US - Photo: AFP

This meeting marks Joe Biden's first visit to Vietnam as US President.

"The state visit of US President Joe Biden at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a very good manifestation of the relationship between the two countries, a symbol of respect for the political systems of the two countries," Mr. Pham Quang Vinh - former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US 2014-2018 - commented to Tuoi Tre .

Both our countries were fortunate to benefit from the personal relationship between the leaders, and years after that meeting, they continued to correspond.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper shared with the press on September 6 about the 2015 meeting in the US between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and then Vice President Joe Biden.

Bilateral relationship circuit

Mr. Pham Quang Vinh - Photo: Thanh Pham

During his visit in July 2015, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met with US President Barack Obama. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong then attended a reception hosted by Vice President Joe Biden.

That was the beginning of a personal relationship between the two leaders of Vietnam and the United States.

"The General Secretary and Mr. Joe Biden have a connection," said Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, who witnessed the historic trip.

According to Mr. Vinh, the July 2015 visit was of historical significance not only because it was the first time a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam visited the White House, but also because during the trip the two sides issued a Joint Statement on the Vision of Vietnam-US Relations . The most important point was that the two sides emphasized respect for each other's political institutions, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The visit exceeded expectations. One was that the US President received the General Secretary in the Oval Office, and two was that the time exceeded the original plan. The two sides were expected to hold an official meeting for 60 minutes, but in reality, the two leaders discussed the content of the relationship and future vision to be issued a joint statement and it lasted for 90 minutes," said Mr. Vinh.

That meeting established a personal relationship between the two leaders. In November 2020, senior Vietnamese leaders, including General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, sent congratulatory messages to the president-elect.

In January 2021, when Mr. Joe Biden officially took office, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong continued to send congratulatory messages to the US leader. Both messages expressed confidence that with the foundation built over the past three decades, Vietnam-US relations will continue to develop.

Just one month later, when General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected as General Secretary of the 13th tenure, President Joe Biden sent a congratulatory letter.

"I have always been proud to support the relationship between Vietnam and the United States as a senator and also during my eight years as vice president," said Joe Biden. The US leader also emphasized that the relationship between the two sides is built "on the foundation of mutual respect, respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The General Secretary's visit in 2015, congratulatory telegrams and letters, and recently the high-level phone call between the General Secretary and President Joe Biden leading to mutual invitations to visit... Those things have created a thread in the bilateral relationship," Mr. Vinh commented.

Commercial Highlights

After General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's trip in 2015, President Barack Obama visited Vietnam in May 2016, President Donald Trump visited Vietnam in November 2017...

"Every time there is a high-level visit, the areas of cooperation are multiplied both bilaterally and multilaterally," said Mr. Vinh.

Bilateral relations have seen many advances since 2015, including the US fully lifting the ban on selling lethal weapons to Vietnam in 2016 - a remnant of the embargo and hostility between the two countries.

According to Mr. Vinh, Vietnam-US trade has been increasing continuously over the years. It can be seen that despite the change of administration between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, the US still values ​​its relationship with Vietnam and has continued its policy.

In addition, the continuous increase in trade value shows that the mutual support between the two economies and Vietnam's production capacity has become better than before.

"I still remember the first time I went on a mission to the US was in 1987-1990, when the US had not yet lifted the embargo on Vietnam, and Vietnamese representatives at the United Nations were only allowed to travel within 25 miles of the UN headquarters in New York. To leave there, they had to ask permission from the US," Mr. Vinh recalled.

At that time, the US still imposed the Jackson-Vanik amendment on Vietnam, which restricted many goods from entering the US market. It was not until 2006, 5 years after the Bilateral Trade Agreement took effect, that the US abolished the application of that amendment.

Recalling these things, Mr. Vinh said that there are now almost no trade barriers. From a level of only about half a billion USD in 1995, by 2022 the US became Vietnam's first export market to surpass the 100 billion USD mark.

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc in a press conference on the afternoon of September 8 - Photo: DANH KHANG

The US values ​​the role of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

Speaking to the press on the afternoon of September 8, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc emphasized that President Joe Biden's state visit to Vietnam on September 10 and 11 shows that "the US values ​​Vietnam's political institutions, the role of the Communist Party of Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese leaders."

According to Mr. Ngoc, this is a continuation of the tradition of US presidents visiting Vietnam since the two countries normalized relations in 1995, marking the first time both the US president and vice president visited Vietnam in one term. The visit took place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two countries establishing a Comprehensive Partnership.

"This shows that the two sides respect each other in foreign policy and in policy towards the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. This is an important milestone on the common journey to realize President Ho Chi Minh's wish, stated in a letter in February 1946 to US President Harry Truman: "Vietnam has a full cooperative relationship with the US" - Mr. Ngoc commented.

Looking to the future, the diplomat who served as ambassador to the US from 2018 to 2022 said that economy, trade and investment will continue to be the focus and driving force of the relationship. Vietnam and the US will focus on cooperation in supply chains, infrastructure development, training of high-quality human resources, energy transition, digital economy, green economy, and manufacturing industry.

Science, technology and innovation will be a breakthrough area of ​​cooperation, focusing on digital technology platforms, semiconductor ecosystems, artificial intelligence applications, technologies serving energy conversion, biotechnology or improving healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war will continue to be maintained. The two countries will strengthen coordination at regional and international forums such as ASEAN, APEC, the United Nations and join hands to address global challenges.

Tuoitre.vn