Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson has confirmed that US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien will start a two-day visit to Hanoi today [November 20].

US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien. Photo: The New York Times

The visit is aimed to “celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations,” Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

Robert O’Brien will meet leaders of some ministries to “discuss issues in the bilateral ties and those of common concerns,” Hang said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House National Security Council tweeted that O’Brien departed on November 19 to visit Vietnam and the Philippines where he would meet leaders in both countries “to reaffirm the strength of our bilateral relationships and to discuss regional security cooperation.”

Over the past month, Robert O’Brien is the second White House senior official to visit Vietnam. On October 29-30, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Hanoi with an aim to promote the bilateral ties and Washington’s free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.

At the virtual 8^th ASEAN-US Summit held in Hanoi on November 14, O’Brien highly appreciated Vietnam’s role in “promoting the ASEAN Centrality” amid “unprecedented challenges” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. He also praised ASEAN’s efforts in maintaining the supply of medical equipment in the battle against the novel coronavirus.

“ASEAN remains central to President Trump’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Department of State said in a statement before the ASEAN-US Summit.