President Truong Tan Sang and his entourage left New York on July 26, wrapping up their three-day official visit to the US at the invitation of President Barack Obama. President Truong Tan Sang meets with US friends (Source: VNA) Earlier on the same day, the Vietnamese State leader met with US educators and economic researchers, war veterans of both countries, and Vietnamese expatriates here. Meeting with leaders of the Vietnam Education Foundation and representatives of several US universities, President Sang said education is one of the priorities in cooperation between Vietnam and the US since they established diplomatic ties in 1995. Together with ongoing effective cooperation programmes such as Fulbright and Higher Engineering Education Alliance Programme, the governments, organisations and individuals of both sides have been also implemented a wide range of initiatives to tap their education-training potential, he said. The number of Vietnamese students pursing education in the US has grown five times to over 15,000 from 10 years ago, earning Vietnam the first place in Southeast Asia and eighth globally in terms of enrollments. The establishment of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership during his visit will create a new framework that drives bilateral ties up, including education, the leader said. According to President Sang, Vietnam deems education as the top national policy in its path of national industrialisation and modernisation, adding that the US is its leading partner in tertiary education. He called on US educational leaders to make more efforts to strengthen tertiary education cooperation with Vietnam as it plays an important role in developing human resources - a decisive factor for development. During the meeting, the US side agreed to come up with concrete initiatives regarding the training of Vietnamese students in the US , building of universities in Vietnam and improvement of educational cooperation mechanisms between the two nations. While meeting with Vietnamese and US war veterans, President Sang said that Vietnam is no longer a country of war but a beautiful and peaceful nation with its pursuit of wealthy people and a fair, democratic and civilised society. Over the past years, Vietnamese veterans and their families have received better care and support from the Government and they themselves have continued to make active contributions to the national construction and defence, he said. He added that in its foreign policy of multilateralising and diversifying relations, and comprehensive global integration, Vietnam continuously strengthens all-around links with the US , not only at the Government and State levels but people-to-people exchange, including that of war veterans. The President hailed American ex-servicemen’s leading role in healing the wounds left by the war as well as actively contributing to removing embargo and normalising the Vietnam-US relations in the past and the current enhancement of the friendship and cooperation between the two nations. Many of them have returned to Vietnam and done good deeds towards the country, specially in surmounting the aftermath of Agent Orange/dioxin, bomb and mine clearance and community assistance, he noted. He thanked US veterans for their sentiments and contributions to Vietnam , expressing his hope that they will provide the country with continued support and assistance in the coming time. At the meeting with Vietnamese expatriates and students, President Sang informed them of Vietnam ’s all-faceted situation and its determination to pursue the renewal process, active and proactive international integration, as well as ceaselessly strengthening the Vietnam-US relations and the Vietnamese community’s connectivity in the US . He praised efforts and contributions made by overseas Vietnamese in the US , hoping that they will continue serving as a bridge for Vietnam-US relations to flourish. Also in New York , on July 25, President Sang met with former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. He informed them of the outcomes of his talks with President Barack Obama during which the two sides declared to establish bilateral comprehensive partnership, saying the result was partly contributed by the couple. The former US leaders stressed that the new partnership framework is significant to not only the development of bilateral ties but the region and beyond. They said they believe the US will continue to be a good friend and partner of Vietnam and the two sides will keep working together for peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region. They added that they still offer support to Vietnam via Clinton Global Initiative’s activities. VNA