Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on August 25 morning welcomed her visiting US counterpart Kamala Harris to Hanoi at the Presidential Palace.
Harris’ visit is the first time an incumbent US Vice President has visited Vietnam, and this is also the first time the Vietnamese Vice President hosted a reception for a high-ranking foreign official since taking office in July at the first session of the 15th-tenure National Assembly.
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| Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (right) hosted a welcoming reception for US counterpart Kamala Harris__Photo: VNA |
After meeting with Anh Xuan, Harris had talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh later.
In the afternoon, she is expected to attend the virtual launching ceremony for the US CDC office for the Southeast Asia region, and witness the signing of land lease for the construction of a new US embassy in Hanoi.
US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Noi Bai International Airport late on August 24, to a welcome delegation led by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Government Office Le Khanh Hai, and Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of US Embassy Hanoi Christopher Klein.
The agenda of the trip is said to range from COVID-19 support, economic cooperation, to regional security challenges.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, trade between Vietnam and the US hit a record of USD 90.8 billion last year, and they are working hard to raise the figure to USD 100 billion this year.
Over the past five years, Vietnam’s export revenue to the US surged 230 percent, while its import value was up more than 175 percent.
The US has become Vietnam’s biggest buyer and the Southeast Asian nation has emerged as the 10th largest trade partner of the US.- (VNS/VLLF)
