US President’s visit opens new chapter in Vietnam-US ties: Scholar

The State visit of US President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to Vietnam is the next step and the combination of work that have taken place for four decades since the normalisation of the US - Vietnam relations, said Andrew Wells-Dang, a senior expert on Vietnam at the Centre for Asian Affairs of the US Institute of Peace (USIP).    

Andrew Wells-Dang, a senior expert on Vietnam at the Centre for Asian Affairs of the US Institute of Peace (USIP)

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency in the US, Wells-Dang said he hopes the visit is the start of a new chapter in US-Vietnam relations, where the two sides can work more closely together in the areas that they have worked in up to now, and can start to work in new areas, and can discuss difficult topics on the basis of trust and respect.

 He noted that the speed and frequency of visits between the two countries increase rapidly saying that in the several years since he has been at the USIP, he has had the chance to visit Vietnam five times, and every time he goes, there are more exchanges of delegations between the two countries.

The scholar mentioned the visit to Vietnam earlier this year of Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power, adding that “several Cabinet members and now upcoming President Biden will be visiting also.”

He went on to say that in the last few years, almost every leading US official has been to Vietnam, and vice versa. In addition, unofficial visits between the US and Vietnam still continue, offering more chances for the two sides to understand more about each other's countries, especially after the travel is open again.

According to Andrew-Dang, there are many different pillars of the US - Vietnam relationship, and they are all foundational to the bilateral relationship. But the economic relationship is also critical and has grown rapidly, he said, noting that the US is Vietnam second largest trading partner, and Vietnam is an important destination for US companies that are seeking to invest.

US businesses said that they are now all looking to diversify their investments in different countries, and Vietnam is the top destination, Wells-Dang stressed.

He said the USIP is working a lot on war issues, which are no longer something that divides the US and Vietnam almost 50 years since the end of the war. The two sides are working side by side to identify missing persons from all sides, to clean up the remains of landmines, bombs and Agent Orange to help people disabled because of the war.

This has been a factor that's made the US - Vietnam relationship stronger and different from other relations, he affirmed.

The educational exchange has been growing rapidly, as the number of Vietnamese students studying in US universities and schools has risen, he said, noting that Vietnam is now one of the countries with the largest number of international students in the US.

Wells-Dang also mentioned cultural exchange, and technology cooperation  between the two nations, emphasising that technology is an important factor.

Both the US and Vietnam are interested in growing cooperation in high tech areas, and this will strengthen all of the components of the relationship, he said. /.

VNA