The US government is committed to working with its partners and allies to bring about a new era of prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and to making the next 25 years of the US-Vietnam ties a model of international cooperation and partnership, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.    

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh

In a statement commemorating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam, Secretary Pompeo stated that over the last quarter century, the two countries have built a partnership and friendship founded on shared interests, mutual respect, and people-to-people ties.  

Everyday interactions are highlighted by “increasing trade and investment ties, strategic cooperation, and collaboration on humanitarian and legacy of war issues, including the solemn duty of accounting for our wartime missing.”

“In recent years, we have strengthened and expanded our Comprehensive Partnership, based on a shared vision of a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific region, as well as respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political systems,” reads the statement.  

Pompeo commended Vietnam for its outstanding Chairmanship of ASEAN this year, especially in coordinating ASEAN’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and issues related to economic recovery.

The ties between the American and Vietnamese peoples grow deeper every year. America’s vibrant and engaged Vietnamese-American community makes the US strong and prosperous. “We value the cross-cultural role played by the nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the United States and more than 1,200 Americans studying in Vietnam annually.”

On this occasion, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany informed that to celebrate the 25 anniversary of diplomatic relations, President Donald J. Trump and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong exchanged letters noting the vision of a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific and respect for each country’s sovereignty.  

Both leaders committed to continuing to expand the Comprehensive Partnership by increasing people-to-people ties; partnering to ensure that trade and investment is free, fair, and reciprocal; collaborating on humanitarian and legacy of war issues; and growing our strategic cooperation through expanded military ties.

“The United States also reaffirmed it will stand alongside Vietnam in support of the peaceful resolution of disputes, the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded commerce,” reads the statement.

“We celebrate the close ties forged over the last quarter century and look forward to marking the next 25 years of partnership, friendship, and a brighter future for our peoples,” it concludes.